Shinseki And His Charges

In light of General Shinseki’s nomination yesterday to head Veterans Affairs, and given his schism with Rumsfeld over Iraq and the shortage of boots on the ground, this image of the then-Army Chief-of-Staff, from the December 1, 2001 Army-Navy game, almost reads like a popular endorsement for his return.

More fatefully, however, it also represents how many more thousands of young men Shinseki was advocating be utilized in a war that should never have been instigated in the first place. At this point, we can only hope Shinseki and the V.A. will do justice to these servicemen and women, however intact, well into the future.

(image:  Jim Fox and John Pellino/USMA)