Gen. Stanley McChrystal talks about how the article on "The Rolling Stones" changed his life and takes responsibility for his actions in his memoir "Share of The Task"
In an article published by "The Rolling Stones" in 2010, General Stanley McChrystal and his staff were reported to have made disparaging remarks about members of the Obama administration. This forced McChrystal to resign from his position, thus, ending his high-profile career. In his memoir "Share of The Task", McChrystal talks about the incident and what actually happened.
According to a report by Npr, McChrystal and his wife, along with his staff were enjoying a drink in a pub in Paris with a reporter from the magazine. The conversation was supposed be off the record and McChrystal notes that he was quite surprised when the article was published. He also said that the article was written very differently compared to what he said and felt.
"I was very surprised by the tone of that article when it came out. I did not think it was a fair depiction of the team," he says, "but it created a controversy. I was in command, and I accepted responsibility."
McChrystal was quick to dismiss the idea that the publishing of the article provided evidence that there was definitely a gap between a military personnel and civilians.
"I know that staff was neither disloyal or intentionally disrespectful," he says. "But, you know, when something becomes a media controversy, it is very difficult to fight that fight at the time."
The former general also revealed that he has moved on from this incident and right after he resigned, a group of supporters helped him get pass the grief.
"I don't judge it either way," he says. "I accepted responsibility, I ended my career over that, and I've moved on with my life. When you go through some controversy and you see your face on the news in a negative way for 48 hours ... you doubt yourself," he says. "And your friends make the difference. They become a safety net that come in and say, 'That's not the case.' And the relationships that you've built ... come to the fore."