The Generals Can’t Save Us — And We Shouldn’t Want Them To

Authors

Gregory A. Daddis, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-21-2017

Abstract

"Without question, the American involvement in Vietnam reverberates well beyond the war that ended there in 1975. Perhaps most importantly, the experience demonstrates, then and now, our inflated expectations of generals as superheroes. The conflict created such a crisis of authority for the president that generals emerged as the nation’s new leaders, trusted agents to whom journalists and the public could confidently turn in a time of crisis. But relying on generals to determine questions of war and peace creates unrealistic — and troubling — expectations for those same generals to craft policy and oversee, unchecked, a military that was intentionally designed to follow the command of a civilian."

Comments

This article was originally published in The Washington Post in July 2017.

Recommended Citation

Daddis, Gregory A. “The Generals Can’t Save Us — And We Shouldn’t Want Them To.” The Washington Post (July 21, 2017). https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/07/21/the-generals-cant-save-us-and-we-shouldnt-want-them-to/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1edf53313b2c

Copyright

Washington Post