Why Are We So Afraid to Punish the Generals?
By
Daniel Davis
WIESBADEN, Germany -- Gen. Mark Milley, then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, speaks with participants of the 23rd annual Conference of European Armies held in Wiesbaden, Germany. The conference was hosted by Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe, and focused on the current security environment, how to win in a complex world and freedom of movement throughout Europe.
Since the early post-9/11 days when a frightened America looked to the military to calm their fears, we have lionized any who wore the uniform as heroes, none more than general officers. Now 20 years on, the ugly, unintended consequences of such blind faith are starting to emerge in ways that pose an increasing danger to the Republic.
The unquestioned loyalty we gave to military members in the aftermath of the September 2001 terror attacks was entirely understandable. The destruction of the World Trade Center towers and the images of a torched Pentagon shook most Americans to the core. But as individuals, we were powerless to do anything to quench our fears and anger. Our uniformed service members, however, were more than adequate for the task.
The power demonstrated in our lightning take-down of the Taliban regime and the gouging of al Qaeda by early 2002 filled most in this country with pride. Even though we later realized the invasion of Iraq was ordered on spurious grounds, the demonstration of the power of the U.S. Armed Forces sweeping to conventional victory in 2003 deepened our sense of security.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/09/why-are-we-so-afraid-to-punish-the-generals/
