General McChrystal here on RallyPoint - What questions do you have?

I had two men in my company who were exceptionally good at martial arts. I had them set up training programs to teach hand to hand to the troops---The end result was a marked increase in the soldiers interest, as well as a noticeable increase in confidence. Soldiers join the army for a variety of reasons, but training to defend themselves bear handed is a confidence builder. Before I went to Vietnam we were given training in hand to hand, weapons and survival training at Little Creek, Virginia by SEAL team 1. Back in 1967 it was a common practice for sailors going to the River Patrol. On more than one occasion the hand to hand saved my life. My point is, that type of training builds confidence, regardless of what job the individual has. It's a practice that should be implemented Army wide.

I remember the hardships the Vietnam Vet's faced and every other service member faces when leaving a well (some times) organized world, going into the want-a-bees. I struggled with it too! My only advise is to saddle up and keep moving forward. Find other Vet's to talk to and work through the civilian slime. Their never going to understand and they will always at you like one looks at a new corvette. Be that person you know you can and will be. Remember those in your private moments, cheer on your brother and sisters and remember a civilian can never stand in your shoes. We would say " Never done the walk, don't do the talk". God Bless you all, for without you us older Vet's had no hope. Now I know FB is secured.

LTC Yinon Weiss, if I had not joined the Army I wouldn't be a 90% disabled vet. If that so called President didn't throw away our blood, sweat, and tears, the lifetime of adversity I now face with would have been worth it. Please.. go tell the parents of SSG Allen, SFC Griffin, CPL Materson, SSG Long, or any of our other brothers and sisters that their child's death was worth handing the middle east over to Iran and putting northern Iraq to the sword. I advise you to wear body armor. I can not find a more measured way to express myself on this subject. Nothing is worth doing in this country anymore when a Liberal is going to come behind you, destroy it, and call you a racist for objecting.

SFC Mark Merino, the Democrats threw away all of our gains in Viet Nam too; but you have to remember that it was not OUR failure. We did our duty and accomplished our missions.

Having borne great responsibilities under fire you have an inner strength that the civilians that stayed home will never know. Use this strength to help those around you and it will lighten your load and bring purpose back into your life. The responsibilities will come again as your performance is noted.

As Americans we can only do our part, provide for our families, help our neighbors, and cast our votes. We were not able to set strategy when we were in the ranks either, but we can still accomplish our duties now just as we did then. Different situation, different duties, but just as necessary.

Great question 1SG... understanding our limited number of troops and the vast areas to cover, I am interested in hearing of the factors in decision making process that brought Gen McChrystal to the conclusion that this strategy would have the best impact. In addition: at the lower levels we continuously work to improve through an after actions review of the good and the bad. What were the take aways from this decision.

Truly superb question - and one that caused me a lot of thought at the time. I based my decision on the belief that if we didn't control the majority of the Afghan population (making them feel truly secure) that we couldn't win. The Taliban were expanding their efforts to make all of Afghanistan seem insecure (which caused the population to drift away from open support to the Govt) - so I believed it was key to deny them that where we could. We did a detailed analysis and came up with 80 "Key Districts" (out of 364 total districts in the country and sought to concentrate there first. The concept was to make those truly secure and then expand like an "oil spot" from there. As additional Afghan forces were raised, we felt we'd be able to expand that. My sense was that while that meant we'd be less capable in more remote areas - if the Taliban was going to be strong anywhere, I felt it would least beneficial to them to control remote, less populated locations. But you're right, it is always a tough call. My thanks.

I'm highly impressed with your organization & execution in Iraq of capturing/killing terrorists, but your answers on Sean Hannity's Show on FOX were very sad, politically correct, really don't know how to describe it. Our nation & the world is in a spiral to complete chaos and we need bold leaders who can truly identify how to destroy radical islam. I was hoping you were going to lay out a definitive plan, stayed up late to watch you and went to bed wondering, 'where is that General that did so much to put our foot on the neck of terrorism?'

After hearing what you said about making the call on strategy change I understand. With a very limited force it was difficult to impossible to control large swaths of lesser populated areas plus it thinned troops out making forces less effective and more vulnerable. It was and is about controlling what you can in Afghanistan. The war there can never be seen as a win only an acceptable end by Afghan not American standards. They say time is the enemy of man and I say we have wasted a lot of it by operations being run from HQ instead of in theater. Maybe January 2017 we will have a philosophy change there and elsewhere unless ISIS prompts us to make that change sooner.

Thank you Sir I appreciate your answer!

I agree Sir! The one thing I find lacking these days is commitment. There are so many leaders that I've worked with in the past few years that are all about their own career. The thing that they aren't grasping is that grooming and taking care of your Soldiers IS looking out for your career.

Excellent point SGT

GEN Stanley McChrystal, you hit upon 2 of the most important keys to leadership that I saw most people failing at. Commitment and the willingness to listen to others no matter what their rank. Just because somebody is boot does not mean they might not have an idea that is worth hearing. Listening, even if you don't take their advice, gives them a sense of being important and builds the team.

Thanks for the great question Kirk!

Cpl (Join to see) I am almost afraid to know what the answer to this is......the people that have replaced the leadership established during the start of the war in Iraq is VASTLY different than the leadership in place now.

Thanks for your question. I don't think there's a single reason for what has happened, and I don't believe there's any kind of conspiracy, etc. But I do believe that we can and should do a better job of forging truly effective relationships that are built on trust between civilian and military leaders. When you come from different cultures, that can be difficult. But its incredibly important because you're right that losing key leaders is really hard on both the force and mission accomplishment.

GEN Stanley McChrystal Thank you for taking the time to respond. I'm looking forward to learning more.

I concur with PO1 Hammond. Military service should be a prerequisite to holding the position of CINC. Robert Heinlein went further (he was an Annapolis grad) by suggesting that military or federal service should be a requirement to gain the franchise to vote. No service, no vote. That may be a bit extreme, but the CINC should have spent time boots on ground to have an informed opinion as to what he is asking his troops to put their lives into.

Top, you took the word out of my mouth ;-)

I have a hard time respecting any MALE who did not even attempt to take that last great leap to being a man....SERVE in UNIFORM and put your own ass on the line for freedom. So take it for what it is worth...Politicians suck, but Coward Politicians suck worse.

I also agree, you would not want a PLT SGT/PLT LDR, 1SG/CPT, CSM/LTC... leading us into combat without military experience.

I found that the more senior I got, and the more complex the jobs I was in, the more unwinding became critical. For me, PT went from being something to stay in shape to a mental release - and I tried never to miss it because the impact it would have (even a day) on my attitude. I never had a lot of big hobbies (hunting, fishing, or golf), but beside running I love to read and found that reading history (but only rarely military history), I could allow myself to truly relax.

To me, this question is sort of a bigger sign of lack of leadership. Leadership starts with me. I will lead those or get things moving in my area. To expect someone to fix things I can fix, to me, is what is creating our issues. Instead of doing things, we expect someone above us to give an order and all of a suddenly things will just magically get better.
It all starts by taking care of our people. I don't mean giving them days off and buying them donuts on Friday, I mean making sure they have the training they need to get their jobs done, patience to teach them how to do their job, getting to know your Marines and families. Basic leadership at the lowest levels will solve 90 percent of the issues we have. Be accountable and hold people accountable.

lol yes it is.. thanks Gy

To all you still in the military .... guess what? Civilian companies do the exact same things. lol

But be it military or civilian, if I truly feel there is a problem that needs fixing, I go at it with everything I have, in a respectful manner of course. I don't wait for somebody else to fix the problem, I come up with a solution and give it a shot.

Morale. Building morale is like nailing jello to the wall. What is a morale booster for one is a morale killer for others. Some people love the "fun days" (company picnics for civilians). You know who likes them? The "command". An executive says "let's have a party!" and everyone under him/her scrambles to make it happen. Then the exec goes to the party and believes everyone is having fun and that it wasn't hard to pull off.

I've always found that building morale really comes down to respect for those above and below you. Don't belly ache unless you have a solution and listen to what others think would help. See somebody doing a good job? Tell them so.

For the top leaders, you need to recognize the "invisible" people. In the Navy and in civilian life I see the same people up for whatever of the quarter/year over and over. They get the letters of commendation, they get the on the spot awards. Over and over. Meanwhile, there are those who keep their nose to the grindstone and you never notice because whatever they are doing is being done well and so you don't notice it. You notice when something goes wrong. Then give awards to the person who is just doing their job by fixing it. Look beyond the visible ones and see who they are leaning on. There are the ones you should be giving awards to. That builds morale. Noticing the "little" people.

Oh. Yes. Disclaimer. I have actually taught leadership classes in the civilian world. :D

Mr. Hammond, I am glad that you are teaching this to people and I hope that those people are listening to you. Very good information and I thank you for posting it.

I do. Most of the things in my career (even things that were unpleasant at the time) I actually am glad happened as they did. My departure from Afghanistan is my big regret - less because the Rolling Stone article was painful for me - than for the fact I left a mission and soldiers I cared deeply about, and feel I was responsible to. I can't undo the past, and I don't spend a second feeling sorry for myself (no point), but I'm honest enough to admit I wish I could have finished my share of that task.

But, you did finish your share of the task. We would not be talking to you on Rally Point now. The Rolling Stone Magazine, I take them with a grain of salt. All that has served are on your side. The Magazine does not get what it takes to serve. I would just smile knowing the achievements accomplished because of your leadership

Gen Stanley McChrystal. Welcome to RP, sir. An honor. Sir, what's your take on the new fad, namely walking on the flag, and dishonoring what it stands for. and, should veterans attempt to stop any one from doing so?

We're about to enter a period (like when I first entered the 82nd as a LT in 1977), where in many cases the NCO's will have far more practical (combat) experience than their new officers. That means even junior Sergeants will have the responsibility (and challenge) of shaping LT's who want (and need) to feel in charge, but must learn to respect and learn from their NCO's. It takes tact and maturity to teach (I was probably hard to teach as a LT), but its a place where more senior NCO's can mentor others.

GEN Stanley McChrystal thank you for your response to my question.

If I could follow up with a point you made in the above, looking back at yourself in 1977... What advice would you provide for any prospective young officers... that might give them some TTPs... in handling this "experiential" challenge where they could benefit more from this "subordinate" mentorship?