General Stanley McChrystal Retires in a Private Ceremony | Eastern NC Now

    In a small, and emotional ceremony, General Stanley McChrystal retired from the institution that had brought him so much fame, respect and controversy - the United States Army. In this private retirement ceremony, at 6 p.m. Friday, held at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. The retirement ceremony was closed to all but three reporters: Greg Jaffe from the Washington Post, Julian Barnes from the Wall Street Journal, and Gordon Lubold from Politico. The following report is compilation of information that represents the poignant theme of that ceremony.

    In that mood, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was in attendance, offered many kind words of praise for this true American hero, who managed to, as Secretary Gates stated, “Over the past decade, no single individual has inflicted more fear and more loss of life on our country's most vicious and violent enemies than Stan McChrystal.” The Defense Secretary initiated his comments by stating, "We bid farewell to Stan McChrystal today with pride and sadness," Gates said. "Pride for his unique record as a man and soldier; sadness that our comrade and his prestigious talents are leaving us.”

    Barely a month earlier, General Stanley McChrystal was fired by President Barack Obama for he, and undisclosed members of his staff making off-the-record comments to a Rolling Stone reporter that were considered of disparaging nature by the President. The Rolling Stone reporter elected to break with his agreement that these comments would be off-the-record, with General McChrystal, and his staff, and published them regardless of any prior agreement. He was replaced by his superior duties as the General-in-charge in Afghanistan. General McChrystal was replaced by his superior to head up operations in Afghanistan by Four Star General David Patraeus.

    Defense Secretary Robert Gates continued his tribute to General Stanley McChrystal’s command of the Joint Special Operations Command in the Iraq Theater, where he was in charge of the covert effort to remove Al Qaeda militants. The General masterminded the attack that killed Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian, who was one of the war efforts top targets in Iraq. The Defense Secretary continued, "This consummate ranger possessed one of the sharpest and most inquisitive minds in the Army, General McChrystal's contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were groundbreaking. He employed every tool available to create success on the battlefield.”

    General Stanley McChrystal was the son of a general, and himself a 1975 West Point graduate, retired as a full, four star, general two years ahead of stated policy. President Obama did not balk at this early promotion as it was he who chose the General in 2009 to be commander in Afghanistan. General McChrystal was mostly responsible for his commanding role in quelling the insurgency in Iraq during The Surge.

    In this ceremony, fraught with many bittersweet moments, General McChrystal sincerely spoke, “Service in this business is tough and often dangerous, and it extracts a price for participation, and that price can be high," McChrystal remembered, "If I had it to do over again, I'd do some things in my career differently, but not many. "My service did not end as I would have wished," he said. "Still, Annie and I aren't approaching the future with sadness, but with hope."


    In direct comments concerning President Obama, Four Star General Stanley McChrystal remarked, "It was an honor to serve for him and with him."

    The President did not attend the ceremony.