President Barack Obama decided to accept the letter of resignation from General Stanley McChrystal on June 23, 2010. This decision was widely seen by many as president Barack Obama firing McChrystal, a decision that would have been chosen correctly.
Following some condescending remarks made to Rolling Stone magazine about Obama’s strategic decisions and staff including vice president Joe Biden, McChrystal earned himself some vacation.
As a country we need to face the fact that in all areas of our military we have a fundamental problem when it comes to resignation.
In all branches of the military, resigning is commonly looked down upon and is widely discouraged. Most servicemen and women will unanimously say that leaving is the hardest thing to do. This is even more the case during war times and who could blame someone for frustration when success appears unfathomable. The situations our brave loved ones face over seas are enough to push anyone to the brink after four years, not to mention a common theme of low morale.
Once those commitment papers are signed everything is a done deal with no chance to turn around or reverse. This is precisely what contributes to gratuitous stress for soldiers and for those who become unhappy or mentally ill.
According to an article published on congress.org, more U.S. military personnel committed suicide in 2009 than the total number of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. If this isn’t a sign of losing a war nothing is, also this shows the innumerable cases that prove just how stressful and flawed the military system is when it comes to mental health and obligation.
General McChrystal is an intelligent man and he knew exactly what he was doing when he was in the company of the Rolling Stone staff. The general and his staff didn’t commit a bunch of accidental tongue slips; they were calling for help. All of those comments were just a way to get the president’s attention, they were a way of saying I want out.
This stress can be seen in what happened with General McChrystal’s resignation. The many who believed Obama fired him may be correct, but either way McChrystal can now truly say Mission Accomplished.