Now to the particulars. We, and perhaps Gavin himself, do not know who his dad was. He was thrown into an orphanage at age 2 and then raised by a Pennsylvania coal mining family. Forced to work at age 12 to help with scant family income, Gavin assumed an early character building responsibility.
Seeing no future as a coal miner, he ran away on his 17th birthday to New York City. The first thing he did was wire his parents that he was okay so they would not report him as missing.
He knew with some uncanny instinct that he desperately wanted a US Army career; however, at age 17, he was underage. With this same uncanny instinct, he lied to an enlisting officer by claiming he was an orphan; Along with other 'orphans' he appeared in front a lawyer who became their guardian and the latter signed their parental consent form.
His first assignment sent him to Fort Sherman in Panama.
Have you ever been to Panama? The Caribbean coast, where Gavin was sent, is extremely humid and has a seven month rainy season from May to December. This is not to mention the mosquitos and bugs that infest the area and the possibility of contracting malaria.
Despite these hardships, Gavin at age 17 survived and his superior Sergeant McCarthy said his performance was fine.
Though he had at most a 7th grade formal education, Gavin passionately pursued a catch-up self motivated education, against all odds; first in Panama, he rigorously studied from 8AM to noon daily, and then in the lighted lavatories-the only light available-at West Point he played education catch-ups from 4AM til reveille.
Not bad for this orphan runaway kid from the coal mines--who is a published author of five books. He even rose to become CEO of Arthur D. Little, the international management firm
He showed a gumption to rise to the top and stay there.
Like Gavin, Stanley McChrystal, the 'scholar-warrior' (holding posts at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Counsel of Foreign Relations) similarly rose to the top of his military profession serving along the way as Director of Joint Staff in 2008 under President Bush. He has a strong background as a Green Beret, Army Ranger and in Special Forces making him an author and authority on the brilliant tactics of counterinsurgency; the mission involves "the idea that the best way to deal with a guerrilla movement is to provide security for the populace rather than focus exclusively on combat." (Time Magazine)
He is a trained expert in "special ops" which is a branch of the military that uses small units of super-trained operatives working quietly within the native population .
He directed the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in Iraq, which is an elite, undercover group known as the 'terrorist hunters." His group is behind killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
He had a great role model in his father, a two star General, Major General Herbert McChrystal Jr. , who served in Germany during the American occupation after World War II.
The French connection links these two war heroes.
Gavin reached a pinnacle when he was tapped by President John F. Kennedy to be our Ambassador to France in 1961 to improve our faltering relations with our World War II ally. This appointment was based on "jumpin Jim's" strong World War II leadership experiences and his relationship with General Charles de Gaulle.
General Gavin ran away from his home to learn about life--his life, to learn responsibility for himself and for others. He was forever indebted to his mentors.
General McChrystal ran away--ran away from the awesome responsibility of showing respect to his Commander, to his inferiors and to other cultures.
In the The Runaway General article appearing in Rolling Stone, writer, Michael Hasting details how a great General sabotaged his career and mouthed his own Waterloo by not only disparaging the French and their culture, but also his Commander in Chief, President Obama
These French (and I won't belittle the General any more by quoting from the article which is available online) are the very ones who sent over General Lafayette, with his gallant military expertise and infantry personnel during our revolution to aid George Washington fight our revolutionary war. A cause which gave Stanley McCrhystal the opportunity to succeed.
General Gavin learned the art of diplomacy and tact by quietly following his superiors and mentors and setting an example through heroic action.
General Stanley McChrystal, our other hero, must learn the art of silence and respect for his superiors.
He is young; he is 55; he can do it and resurrect his fallen career.
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