Military Officer - March 2008 - (Page 10) fromtheeditor Looking Back Military Officer looks at the image of U.S. military professionals — both in snapshots from the current war and in America’s changing perceptions since its earliest conflicts. T his month, MOAA once again offers two vastly different approaches to covering the military community. On one hand, we showcase a visceral, stimulating treat for the eye. On the other, we invite you to partake in a cerebral, contemplative exercise for the brain. The flashy approach, “Photos From the Front Lines,” on page 88, excerpts images from Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: A Photographer’s Chronicle of the Iraq War (University of Chicago Press, 2007). Author and photographer Ashley Gilbertson was a freelance and later New York Times photographer. He started work in Iraq before the current war began and has been embedded with U.S. troops for most of this conflict. This photo essay shows a few of Gilbertson’s images of U.S. troops on the front lines, taken in the classic style of war photographers. As Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune, says in a review, “He captures American soldiers as they do their best in an impossibly complex situation.” We think you’ll agree with this statement. Moving to the academic side, we present the essay, “Image of an Officer,” on page 84. I’d like to say I can take personal credit for generating this story, but it actually came from an MOAA member, Col. C. Robert Kemble, USA-Ret., Ph.D., who responded to my editorial, “We’re No. 1,” in the August 2007 issue. The editorial reported on the annual Gallup Poll on the nation’s confidence in its major professional fields. The military was — and still is — in the lead. MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2008 But Kemble asked a good question, “Why is today’s esteem for military men and women in such contrast with that of their Vietnam War predecessors only a generation earlier?” He also mentioned his article, “Mutations in America’s Perception of Its Military Leaders,” which appeared in the April 2007 issue of Armed Forces & Society. For Military Officer, Kemble reworked his article. His analysis is based on a longerterm historical review of the image of U.S. military professionals. “It shows fundamental mutations in America’s perceptions of our military are under way,” says Kemble. Kemble served as an enlisted paratrooper in World War II, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, N.Y., and earned a doctorate in American Studies from George Washington University. He was a USMA faculty member for 10 years and later was president of New Mexico Military Institute. What’s your opinion about the evolving military image? Share your thoughts by visiting www.moaa.org/discussion and clicking on Image of an Officer. — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 10 http://www.moaa.org/discussion
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.