God and Country

According to the Associated Press, retired General Stanley McChrystal — former head of operations in Afghanistan, fired by President Obama over disparaging remarks reported in the Rolling Stone — has been “cleared of wrongdoing.”

The probe’s results…called into question the accuracy of the magazine’s report last June, which quoted anonymously people around McChrystal making disparaging remarks about members of President Obama’s national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden…

The Pentagon inquiry also concluded that not all of the events at issue happened as reported in the article.   Read more…

A few weeks ago, Seymour Hersh, whose fame is essentially centered on the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, made headlines when he said portions of the US military were trying to conquer and convert the Muslim world:

The New Yorker’s Seymour Hersh alleged in a speech in Qatar that key branches of the U.S. military are being led by Christian fundamentalist “crusaders” who are determined to “turn mosques into cathedrals.”

Hersh specifically cited now-retired General Stanley McChrystal and, more vaguely, much of the US Special Operations community.  He claimed members of the US military were members of a small sect of Christianity out to continue the crusades:

He then alleged that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who headed JSOC before briefly becoming the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and his successor, Vice Adm. William McRaven, as well as many within JSOC, “are all members of, or at least supporters of, Knights of Malta.”…

“Many of them are members of Opus Dei,” Hersh continued. Read more…

In a somewhat expected move, the Military Times reports General David Petraeus has removed the limitations on MWR imposed by General Stanley McChrystal, allowing fast food and other morale facilities to return to the AOR.

McChrystal had previously instituted the restrictions because, as CSM Hall said

“This is a war zone — not an amusement park.”

Never one to miss a controversy, the media is expressing shock that “the Army” would let only three hand-picked journalists attend General Stanley McChrystal’s retirement, scheduled this Friday.  They fail to fully understand that a military retirement is not a government ceremony, and the retiree can do as much or as little as he chooses, and invite whomever he pleases.

A military article also notes the continuing ministry of his brother, Chaplain (Colonel) Scott McChrystal, US Army (retired).  He recently spoke at a prayer breakfast at Read more…

Focus on the Family has a series of articles on “The Chain of Command in Marriage,” a brief look at the challenges to marriage in the military.  Interestingly, it quotes Judy McChrystal, wife of former Chaplain (Col) Scott McChrystal, who is brother to General Stanley McChrystal.

The article is a fairly comprehensive overview of the challenges to maintaining (and rebuilding) a healthy marriage within the military environment.  The author is Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, one of many marriage and military resources available from Officers’ Christian Fellowship.

The UK’s Guardian has said that General Stanley McChrystal’s ouster from leading NATO forces in Afghanistan has dealt a blow to a long and slow improvement in US-Muslim relations.  The article summed it up this way:

McChrystal’s strategy in Afghanistan also had major implications for US relations with the world’s 1.4bn Muslims. McChrystal’s message was simple: we respect you. We honor you. We are here to protect you. You have a great religion and a great culture, and we will help you preserve it and secure a future for your children.

The article calls the choice of General Petraeus to replace McChrystal “solid,” which has been the general feeling in the public (Petraeus was approved unanimously in the Senate).  Ironically, however, while McChrystal apparently sported friendly credentials with the local Muslim populations, Petraeus has been accused of being a fundamentalist Christian predator, at least by one person:

General Petraeus has, by his own hand, become a quintessential poster child of this fundamentalist Christian religious predation, Read more…

As previously predicted, General Stanley McChrystal has reportedly submitted papers for retirement.  Other reports indicate he will retire as a four-star general, though his time in service may have made that questionable.

In a seemingly unusual move, US Army General David Petraeus appears poised to give up his leadership at Central Command to take over the job of one of his former “subordinates.”  While the situation is not quite that simple, from a military leadership perspective, the ISAF leadership position is certainly inferior to CENTCOM.

That aside, one of the more interesting aspects of this firing/hiring of US military General officers has been the attempt by the media to characterize the enemy’s response.  Newsweek had an entire article on “what the Taliban think…” about Read more…

A sunrise Easter service, which may trace its tradition back to the early 1700s, was celebrated at Fort Stewart, Georgia, with a unique speaker.

It turns out General Stanley McChrystal, who is currently the commander of US military forces in Afghanistan, has a brother who is a retired Colonel…and Chaplain. 

Marne Garden ushered in Easter morning with a message from Chaplain (Col.) Scott McChrystal (Ret.), that God is alive.  Read more…

As reported at the Air Force Times, Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) facilities are being removed from Afghanistan, consistent with General McChrystal’s previous guidance that the facilities–from Pizza Hut to new car sales–are detrimental to the warfighting spirit necessary for the expeditionary mindset:

“This is a war zone — not an amusement park,” [US Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall, the top U.S. enlisted man in Afghanistan] wrote.

(Yes, military members can purchase cars while deployed in combat areas, for delivery when they arrive home.  There are often special discounts and tax exemptions included in the deal, though that by no means guarantees a “steal.”)

Many facilities are exempt, as are some that are associated with other units.  The facilities affected by McChrystal’s order have 90 days to close.