A Class Of Generals

Gen. Ray Odierno, left, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph McGee walk the streets of Samarra, Iraq, on an October visit. Sg. Kani Ronningen/U.S. Army

From The Wall Street Journal:

The cadets of 1976 graduated from West Point at a low moment for the Army and its storied training ground. But that year produced the generals running the nation’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their key deputies. What happened?

Ray Odierno was a floppy-haired teenager who was recruited into West Point’s class of 1976 to play football. An average student, he spent his free time tailgating outside the military academy’s football stadium and leading excursions to an off-campus bar.

His classmate Stanley McChrystal came from a military family. His idea of a practical joke was mounting a fake assault on one of the campus’s office buildings using decommissioned weapons and “grenades” made out of rolled-up socks. When the prank drew the attention of the military police, then-Cadet McChrystal’s career almost ended.

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My Comment: This is a fascinating read.