Retired Army Generals Speak Out

Last week six retired Army Generals spoke out, criticizing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. As soon as they spoke out there was immediate backlash calling it a political stunt. "If they really meant it they would have said something when they were on active duty." I can tell you right now that that line of reasoning is a load of rubbish.

First, as a General in the United States Army you can not speak out against your superiors. Make no mistake, we have a civilian lead military. If you are a Major General (two star) you might have three or four superiors before you are answering directly to the Secretary of Defense. You are also probably a commander in your own right of over 12,000 soldiers.

Here is what you might risk by taking a public stand against your boss:

- A Court-Martial (aka a criminal conviction for speaking your mind)
- Your Job
- Your retirement
- Your health care
- The health care of your spouse
- And let us not forget a higher chance of the men and women under your command
getting killed due to a commander that does not know them as well as you.

Can you pick which of your co-workers would have a higher likelihood of a work-related death because you spoke your mind? On active duty these Generals command men and women that were either in combat or about to go into combat. If they lost their position because they made a public statement against the administration they would have lost their command. That would mean that a person that was not familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of their soldiers would have been placed in that command position. Someone who would have had to make the hard decision at the right time. This translates into maybe 5-50 more soldiers dead and 100-200 more injured. (I am pulling the figures from my experience, not any hard science.)

Honestly, would you have been willing to do that to the men and women that have placed their well-being into your hands? Or would you have waited until after you brought everyone home?