General

 

More than two decades before I was born, a pheasant hunting trip turned deadly for one of the most recognized military leaders in United States’ history. Weeks earlier General George S. Patton’s long-time driver left Army service and a new driver was assigned to handle the General’s transportation. En route to the hunting site, Patton’s limousine collided with an army truck and while other passengers suffered mild injuries, Patton hit his head hard enough that it left a bloody gash and paralyzed him from the neck down. The subsequent complications from this accident led to Patton’s death twelve days later.

I was three years old when the movie “Patton” premiered in theaters and six when it was first released on television. Like “The Ten Commandments,” “Patton” became one of those films that ABC aired around Easter annually. I was probably eight or nine when I first remember watching “Patton” but I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw that first television broadcast. 

As an impressionable child I believed that there could be no greater leader than the Patton that George C. Scott portrayed. Patton was willing to lead from the front lines. He spoke plainly, even when moderation was probably the better tact. He inspired his troops and motivated them to risk everything, including their own lives, for the battle that was before them. And his willingness to aggressively attack earned the respect of his enemies. 

During my lifetime, I was similarly impressed by the leadership of two four-star generals during the Gulf War. General Colin Powell served as the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. General Norman Schwarzkopf served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Central Command and led all the coalition forces during Desert Shield and Storm. These Generals stood at 6’2” and 6’3” respectively and their dominating physical presence was matched by the strategy and deployment of overwhelming force to decimate the enemy while limiting American and ally casualties. Their public persona and the execution of a plan imposing formidable force against a weaker enemy caused me to venerate these Generals.  

Something is different about the wars that I am witnessing now and the leaders who are waging those wars. I have never heard anything from a leader, other than Putin, that would justify a war against Ukraine. I have yet to hear a reliable and valid justification for the war that the United States is now waging against Iran. Every rationale that has been expressed has been based on the premise of what Iran maybe would have done. Lacking in the public statements are persuasive reasoning expressed by leaders that have earned trust through transparency and accurate representation of the reason for war and the end goal that the war is to achieve. 

While my life has a history of idolizing military leaders as war heroes, today I see more villains than champions. So rather than look for generals as heroes, I again look for and try to be the helper in whatever way I can.