General Stanley McChrystal

And the reality was, in that moment, I had been born in an army hospital. I'd lived in an army family. I'd gone to West Point at age 17. I was now 55, almost 56. And suddenly, in an instant, when I offered my resignation to President Obama, I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm not a commander. I'm not a soldier. What am I? You could say, I'm a failure. I go home. Is that how you felt?

And the reality was, in that moment, I had been born in an army hospital. I'd lived in an army family. I'd gone to West Point at age 17. I was now 55, almost 56. And suddenly, in an instant, when I offered my resignation to President Obama, I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm not a commander. I'm not a soldier. What am I? You could say, I'm a failure. I go home. Is that how you felt?

I felt exactly that way. I felt as though a bolt of lightning had... I'd always thought I could be fired for incompetence or killed in combat. I never thought I'd be accused of something like that. And so I offer my resignation to President Obama, who was very gracious, but he accepted it. I had flown home all night from Afghanistan for this meeting.

I felt exactly that way. I felt as though a bolt of lightning had... I'd always thought I could be fired for incompetence or killed in combat. I never thought I'd be accused of something like that. And so I offer my resignation to President Obama, who was very gracious, but he accepted it. I had flown home all night from Afghanistan for this meeting.

I drive across the city to where my wife was living in a set of military quarters. And I tell Annie, it's over. Because she and I had been married for 34 years. And I said, our career's over. I'm out. And she looked at me and she said, good. Good. We've always been happy, and we'll always be happy.

I drive across the city to where my wife was living in a set of military quarters. And I tell Annie, it's over. Because she and I had been married for 34 years. And I said, our career's over. I'm out. And she looked at me and she said, good. Good. We've always been happy, and we'll always be happy.

And in that moment, what she communicated to me without being straight, she said, kind of face forward. And I always describe Annie as driving or living life like she drives with no use for the rearview mirror. And...

And in that moment, what she communicated to me without being straight, she said, kind of face forward. And I always describe Annie as driving or living life like she drives with no use for the rearview mirror. And...

It's going to be a long night. Oh, you're not kidding. Who's driving home? But we've been married 48 years. And if you think about it. You commit to something. And I had committed to the military. I had committed to my marriage. And I'm committed to my country now. And so when I ask you to help lead a national conversation on character, you have the stature. You have the reach.

It's going to be a long night. Oh, you're not kidding. Who's driving home? But we've been married 48 years. And if you think about it. You commit to something. And I had committed to the military. I had committed to my marriage. And I'm committed to my country now. And so when I ask you to help lead a national conversation on character, you have the stature. You have the reach.

If people are thirsty for something different from what they see, let's encourage them. Not that we're going to provide it from the outside, but we're going to have them provide it to themselves. This needs to start with young people.

If people are thirsty for something different from what they see, let's encourage them. Not that we're going to provide it from the outside, but we're going to have them provide it to themselves. This needs to start with young people.

Yeah, I certainly think you got to value loyalty. I can't put myself in his position. I can put myself in the position of an American. I can put myself in the position of someone who has both launched and been on those missions. And if someone had been using an unsecure mode to communicate about him, I'd have been upset about it. Yeah. I could see that. Yeah.

Yeah, I certainly think you got to value loyalty. I can't put myself in his position. I can put myself in the position of an American. I can put myself in the position of someone who has both launched and been on those missions. And if someone had been using an unsecure mode to communicate about him, I'd have been upset about it. Yeah. I could see that. Yeah.

I think for the people I worked with, that had gotten your ass kicked. Right. But the reality is, the thing that upset me most about that was not the mistake. People make mistakes, and we'll make them forever. It was after the fact when people went on public news and they said the information wasn't classified. Of course it was. Right.

I think for the people I worked with, that had gotten your ass kicked. Right. But the reality is, the thing that upset me most about that was not the mistake. People make mistakes, and we'll make them forever. It was after the fact when people went on public news and they said the information wasn't classified. Of course it was. Right.

And I don't like the idea that they would look and say something that... I know is not true and I think they know is not true.

And I don't like the idea that they would look and say something that... I know is not true and I think they know is not true.

Yeah, it makes it particularly hard, because if we start to have a conversation on character now, a certain group is always going to feel defensive, because they think that you are leveraging the word character against them. Right. In fact, it can go both ways. People on both ends of the spectrum can feel that. But we've still got to have it.

Yeah, it makes it particularly hard, because if we start to have a conversation on character now, a certain group is always going to feel defensive, because they think that you are leveraging the word character against them. Right. In fact, it can go both ways. People on both ends of the spectrum can feel that. But we've still got to have it.