Kabul, July 16: The former commander of US forces in Afghanistan said on Wednesday he was “dismayed” and “more than a little embarrassed” when he was sacked from his job last month.
General David McKiernan, who was fired just short of a year after taking over the command of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2008, reflected on his firing at a ceremony marking his retirement.
“If you had asked me 30 days ago if I would be here today at my retirement ceremony, I probably would have said no, maybe in a bit stronger terms,” McKiernan said.
“Make no mistake, I was dismayed, disappointed, more than a little embarrassed,” he said.
But he received advice from friends and his wife that he should attend the retirement ceremony to pay respect to the US Army, fellow soldiers and the family who had supported him throughout this career, McKiernan said.
The general said he did not want to be pitied.
“Save any condolences for those who truly need them. The families, friends and comrades of men and women who either will not return home or whose lives have been permanently scarred by war,” he said.
And he also praised the man who sacked him, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, saying: “He’s the finest secretary of defense in my life time.”
Gates also praised McKiernan at the event, saying the general “ably led” coalition forces in the Afghan war.
“He has handled everything the army and his commander-in-chief have thrown at him with supreme professionalism, intelligence and dedication to our nation and the men and women in his command,” he said.
When he made the surprise announcement on May 11 that he had ousted McKiernan, Gates said the mission required “new thinking.”
General Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, took over from McKiernan in June.
In his speech on Wednesday, McKiernan said the fight in Afghanistan would be difficult and that the United States will would be tested.
“It won’t be easy, it won’t be quick,” said the general, whose son is serving in Afghanistan.
–Agencies