McMaster long looked like the classic Army maverick who did well on the battlefield …Too often good combat soldiers make poor peacetime soldiers. Generally they are more concerned with doing the job and not interested in politics.
McMaster’s “greatest sin” was writing his superb book, “Dereliction of Duty,” detailing the supreme lies and incompetence (at the SecDef and JCS level) that governed our entry into Vietnam.
The book should be required reading for anyone in grades E-4 and above. McMaster is scathing in his criticism of LBJ, Robert McNamara and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is very much an indictment of the E-Ring culture that persists to this day, where senior officers are more concerned about their careers than the nation they serve.
McMaster wrote his book in 1998, but it’s as timely and relevant today as it was sixteen years ago. Once again, we have an imperial president employing the military in operations that have no bearing on U.S. national security, and our senior, uniformed officers have taken a pass.
The herculean effort it took to get McMaster his first star is another testament to the enemies he made in writing that book. Still amazed he has received two more stars over the past six years. However, his “new” assignment is an indicator that General McMaster has reached his ceiling. Deputy Commander of TRADOC is not a place to earn your fourth star.