PrintJanuary 10, 2007
LTG Petraeus (updated)
You should at least note that the author [of The Right Stuff], Frederick J. Chiaventone, works under LTG Petraeus. LTG Petraeus is the Commandant of the US Army Command and General Staff College where Frederick J. Chiaventone works. A friend of the general Frederick J. Chiaventone may be, but he is not exactly an impartial friend.
The partial in the article of LTG Petraeus as a "muddy boots soldier" is not entirely accurate. He is much more than a simple soldier. I have attached his bio for reference on this fact.
He has spent two years in Iraq, not "years on end". A great deal of his time as a field grade officer was spent teaching or in formal education. (See his Bio.) After a year as a student of CGSG he went on to earn a masters and PH.D, and did a fellowship. Then he taught at WestPoint for three years. That is 8 years of out of the operational military. It is very uncommon for a general to have that much time out of the operational Army. In short, he is a worldly man. That is a good thing.
Having said these things, I think it only fair to tell you that I have great respect for the general, though I don't know him personally. Members of his staff, that I know, say that he is the most brilliant man they know. He is the right man for this job in Iraq because he is well educated, smart, has experience, and excellent relationships in the national media. It is his relationships in the national media that is the most beneficial to our effort in Iraq. Information warfare is the key to this conflict.
Respectfully,
Major Gerd Schroeder
Student
US Army Command and General Staff Officer College
Update: Frederick Chiaventonne writes that he
noticed the note from Major Gerd Shroeder. Very amusing. He is apparently unaware that I have actually never worked for Dave Petraeus and left the Staff College many years ago to become a novelist, screenwriter, columnist, TV commentator. Reminds me of the old James Thurber story of the "Unicorn in the Garden" where the moral is "Get it right or let it alone, the conclusion you jump to may be your own."
