Stanley A. McChrystal Quotes
As combat infantrymen and special operators, we received thousands of hours of firearms training.
McChrystal, Stanley. "Veterans Coalition for Common Sense." Everytown for Gun Safety, 2016.
This is yet another quotation demonstrating that the image of early America as a gun culture where most men were armed, skilled with those arms, and ready to come to the defense of the country. It turns out that none of the three corresponded to any historical reality for most Americans.
This quotation is very controversial among historians. Beverly was in a sense the first American historian, although he had no formal training. His extolling the military and sharpshooting virtues of his fellows may or may not have been an exaggeration both as to their skill with firearms and their ability as soldiers. There is much evidence that only a minority of the people of Virginia possessed firearms at the time yet Beverly’s image is the one that has come down to us in the romanticized view of early America. Even fellow Virginian, George Washington {613056} complained that his Virginia civilians made poor soldiers compared with “regulars” who had been trained to shoot, and when Virginia militia reported for duty less than one quarter had firearms which were very expensive and not very accurate at the time.
This incredible statement was made by the Governor when in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina she had been given exaggerated reports of attacks on police and looting. She activated the Louisiana National Guard units which had military police training and was announcing it. The National Guard however was under good discipline and were well trained so their officers and training prevented them from shooting people. The New Orleans police department however was even before Katrina one of the worst in the nation. Some of the police officers took the Governor’s statement as the OK to shoot in situations where such deadly force was against the law. There were 9 police shooting deaths. In most of the cases, the victims were unarmed and were not even fleeing. The U. S. Justice Department has indicted some New Orleans policemen in the shootings. Some argue that the Governors statement could have been a major factor in giving the green light.
The great singer became embroiled in political controversy when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let her, a Black, sing in Constitution Hall in 1939. As a result First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR, and Secretary of Interior Harold L. Ickes offered her the Lincoln Memorial for her 1939 Easter Sunday concert. Four years later she was finally allowed to sing in Constitution Hall. Throughout the controversy Ms. Anderson never attacked those who refused her.
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the mid-2000s. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, United States Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). He previously served as Director, Joint Staff from August 2008 to June 2009 and as Commander of JSOC from 2003 to 2008, where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but also criticized for his alleged role in the cover-up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident. McChrystal was reportedly known for saying what other military leaders were thinking but were afraid to say; this was one of the reasons cited for his appointment to lead all forces in Afghanistan. He held the post from June 15, 2009 to June 23, 2010.
