The American Pantheon of Generals features the lucky like Generals Washington, Sherman and Patton as well as unlucky Generals like Rosecrans and Fredendall.
What about P4 - the Surgin' General?
Sitting in what surely feels like a retirement come too early, Petraeus must wonder where he will rank in the pantheon of American generals.
In recent years, the most esteemed officer in America—the very model of the modern general—was David Petraeus, whose public image combined the theorizing of the new school with a patina of old-fashioned toughness and rectitude. Before a sex scandal forced him to step down as the director of the C.I.A., a few weeks ago, he was widely regarded by politicians and journalists as a brilliant thinker and leader, the man who saved America in Iraq and might work a similar miracle in Afghanistan.
It’s too soon to tell exactly, of course, but his legacy looks reasonably clear. Iraq was a bloody tie, but without his extraordinary efforts it would have been much worse. Afghanistan, which he was called in to rescue, looks as if it will end badly. That’s probably not enough to get him into the temple with Ike, but, given the wars that he was handed, it’s hard to imagine an American general who could have done better. Petraeus was lucky—just not lucky enough.
Pic - "The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today"
