General McChrystal's Rolling Stone gaffe gets shrugs on front lines
General McChrystal's comments to Rolling Stone may be rocking Washington, but soldiers in Afghanistan downplay the impact.
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Additionally, most soldiers say they don’t have the time or the means to follow news about high-level controversies. At this tiny outpost in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar, most soldiers were unaware that of the Rolling Stone article or that their commanding general had come under fire for it.
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“We only just got a [satellite] TV four or five days ago,” says Canadian Army Master Cpl. Eric Hunter from Victoria, Canada. The television in the base cafeteria broadcasts news and other programming designed for Canadian armed forces serving overseas.
“The pace is pretty frantic here,” adds Canadian Army Cpl. Steve Herlinger of Petawawa, Canada. “If I can find a free hour or two, it’s probably going to be spent working out or playing a video game.”
Most soldiers agree that the only way an incident like this would affect their daily life is if McChrystal is fired and replaced by a new commander who drastically changes the overall doctrine or strategy of the war. Even then, as combat soldiers they say it would be hard to alter their daily rhythm as their jobs are relatively straightforward, driving armored vehicles or manning gun turrets for example. Such changes are more likely to affect officers closer to the top of the chain of command, they say.
For those who have followed McChrystal’s latest clash with the commander in chief, there is some empathy for the general. In high stress situations like those found in Afghanistan, they say gaffes are bound to happen and they have little bearing on the general’s ability to lead.
“General McChrystal is an accomplished military officer who I have a great deal of respect for. Sometimes in the theater of operations words can be said in the heat of the moment that we don’t really mean,” says Canadian Army Lt. Will Lymer of Qualicum Beach, Canada. “These remarks in no way erode my confidence in him.”
Though McChrystal has issued an official apology for his remarks in the article, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recalled him to Washington to explain his comments. “I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case,” said Mr. Gates in a statement on Tuesday. “Going forward, we must pursue this mission with a unity of purpose. … [O]ur singular focus must be on supporting [our troops] and succeeding in Afghanistan without such distractions.”
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