Gen. Stanley McChrystal

you sort of think you ought to do, whether you are going to lose your job or go through great embarrassment, any number of things that come. And so you've got this tremendous desire to not want to step up in that moment. And someone who's got real moral courage inspires everyone else. When someone stands up to the bully,

you sort of think you ought to do, whether you are going to lose your job or go through great embarrassment, any number of things that come. And so you've got this tremendous desire to not want to step up in that moment. And someone who's got real moral courage inspires everyone else. When someone stands up to the bully,

you sort of think you ought to do, whether you are going to lose your job or go through great embarrassment, any number of things that come. And so you've got this tremendous desire to not want to step up in that moment. And someone who's got real moral courage inspires everyone else. When someone stands up to the bully,

when someone accepts responsibility that they probably could have sidestepped, when somebody is honest when they didn't have to be, nobody's going to catch them. I think that that, it not only reinforces in the individual, but it's incredibly inspiring.

when someone accepts responsibility that they probably could have sidestepped, when somebody is honest when they didn't have to be, nobody's going to catch them. I think that that, it not only reinforces in the individual, but it's incredibly inspiring.

when someone accepts responsibility that they probably could have sidestepped, when somebody is honest when they didn't have to be, nobody's going to catch them. I think that that, it not only reinforces in the individual, but it's incredibly inspiring.

In the quick story, in the first Gulf War, I watched my commander, then Major General Wayne Downing, and I was in a special operations task force sending commandos deep into Western Iraq to go find Iraqi Scud missiles. And And so these little teams were sent out there and it was high risk.

In the quick story, in the first Gulf War, I watched my commander, then Major General Wayne Downing, and I was in a special operations task force sending commandos deep into Western Iraq to go find Iraqi Scud missiles. And And so these little teams were sent out there and it was high risk.

In the quick story, in the first Gulf War, I watched my commander, then Major General Wayne Downing, and I was in a special operations task force sending commandos deep into Western Iraq to go find Iraqi Scud missiles. And And so these little teams were sent out there and it was high risk.

And one of our teams got in contact with the Iraqis, got a couple of guys wounded, but they were able to break contact. So they called back and they said, we want to be extracted. And General Downing knew that if he extracted that team, we wouldn't get permission from General Schwarzkopf, the four-star commander, to go back in again.

And one of our teams got in contact with the Iraqis, got a couple of guys wounded, but they were able to break contact. So they called back and they said, we want to be extracted. And General Downing knew that if he extracted that team, we wouldn't get permission from General Schwarzkopf, the four-star commander, to go back in again.

And one of our teams got in contact with the Iraqis, got a couple of guys wounded, but they were able to break contact. So they called back and they said, we want to be extracted. And General Downing knew that if he extracted that team, we wouldn't get permission from General Schwarzkopf, the four-star commander, to go back in again.

He knew that the effect on our mission would be essentially to shut it down. And so he said, no. And everybody was shocked because if that organization had then been attacked again by the Iraqis, policed up and killed, Wayne Downing's name in American Special Operations would have had a position of ignominy, ignominy forever. He would have been blamed completely.

He knew that the effect on our mission would be essentially to shut it down. And so he said, no. And everybody was shocked because if that organization had then been attacked again by the Iraqis, policed up and killed, Wayne Downing's name in American Special Operations would have had a position of ignominy, ignominy forever. He would have been blamed completely.

He knew that the effect on our mission would be essentially to shut it down. And so he said, no. And everybody was shocked because if that organization had then been attacked again by the Iraqis, policed up and killed, Wayne Downing's name in American Special Operations would have had a position of ignominy, ignominy forever. He would have been blamed completely.

And I don't think most of them understood that what he was really doing is looking out for the organization in the long term. And it was even harder because he wasn't on the ground with that team. He was a combat veteran of Vietnam and he'd proven his courage. But when you're not on the ground and yet you force someone else to accept danger and

And I don't think most of them understood that what he was really doing is looking out for the organization in the long term. And it was even harder because he wasn't on the ground with that team. He was a combat veteran of Vietnam and he'd proven his courage. But when you're not on the ground and yet you force someone else to accept danger and

And I don't think most of them understood that what he was really doing is looking out for the organization in the long term. And it was even harder because he wasn't on the ground with that team. He was a combat veteran of Vietnam and he'd proven his courage. But when you're not on the ground and yet you force someone else to accept danger and

It's more morally frightening because if you're there with them, you can go, hey, we're all in this together. If you're not, you're out there. And of course, you're open to criticism. So I was amazed in the moment because I was one of his ops officers and I was able to watch it up close. And that was a moment of the loneliness of command. Nobody else wanted to understand.

It's more morally frightening because if you're there with them, you can go, hey, we're all in this together. If you're not, you're out there. And of course, you're open to criticism. So I was amazed in the moment because I was one of his ops officers and I was able to watch it up close. And that was a moment of the loneliness of command. Nobody else wanted to understand.