It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
I spent a good part of last night corresponding with COL Gian Gentile -- an Army officer I greatly respect and consider a dear friend. While we often find ourselves on the opposite poles of the COIN -- conventional warfare debate -- I relayed to him that this debate is a worthy debate -- critical to the future of our armed forces. He deserves the highest credit for pushing this debate into the public domain.
Gian did this, all the while opening himself up to both warranted and unwarranted criticism. He stood in the arena while others either cheered or jeered from the sidelines. I cannot express how impressed I am with those who actually take a stand -- those who stand tall in that arena.
Gian, as I said in at least two e-mails -- you done good and have everything to be proud of. I salute you sir -- as a brother in arms and as a loyal friend.
Semper Fi,
Dave
Comments
Col Gentile, you have opened the essential debate for 2009-2010 concerning how our military, not just our Army, must respond to the emerging demands of IW/Hybrid warfare while still retaining the ability to fight and win in a "conventional" battlepspace, be it on the ground or in the maritime domain.
It's easy to generate lots of emotion in many quarters, but it's not so easy to generate critical thinking on tough issues - you have done just that. Thanks and well-done! All the best, JCHjr VADM,USN
Well,
As a (rather) young French officer and PhD candidate, I was honored to exchange e-mails with Gian.
I praise him for its courage and its will to disturb conventionnal mindset about COIN in Iraq's history.
As an historian myself, I'm proud to say that I share its methodological precautions.
Finally, I encourage him to stand proudly in this debate
Go on, Gian.
Your friend
Stéphane Taillat
I'd like to add to the chorus - contrarian views are necessary and while I don't agree with everything, I agree with many of Col Gentile's points. Glad to see I was <a href="http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2008/12/a-starting-point/#comment-2421… of the curve</a> on this one.
Thanks for the encouraging words; they mean a lot to me
Dave D and I are planning on downing a few cold ones in the near future in DC; I cant wait to meet him.
Ken: I have taken some cheap shots but to be fair I threw a few early on and I wish now that I could retract them.
MikeF: We do study Coin at West Point!! We have an elective specifically on unconventional war and in the core military history course it is integrated where needed into the course. Plus in November the History Department (and the Military History Program) is putting on a History Conference on Irregular War. We already have commitments to attend from great scholars like Brian Linn, Con Crane, Pete Mansoor and a number of others.
gian
I concur with Dave. I disagree with much of what COL Gentile has to say, but he provides an important counterpoint to popular opinion - at least as far as this site is concerned. He's keeping us honest with his extensive experience and impressive intelligence.
Gian - keep up the good work. Life would be boring without great debate!
I'd also like to join in the attaboys for Colonel Gentile.
He and I have disagreed on occasion but are in broad agreement. He has been willing to take a lot of cheap shots from a lot of lesser beings.
I'll also note that a significant majority (though not all) of his critics don't really have enough knowledge or experience to have a sound basis for that criticism.
I have the utmost respect for COL Gentile. While I may disagree with him at times, he has the moral courage to engage in a debate where others sit on the sidelines. Plus, he had the physical courage to lead men in combat. He has nothing to be ashamed of. Now, if we can just get him to start instituting COIN into the standard USMA History syllabus :)
On another note, the next line from Roosevelt's speech is my favorite and often overlooked.
"Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world."
v/r
Mike Few