‘The Generals’ gets two thumbs down

My book The Generals got its first entirely negative review, from Col. Gian
Gentile. Why am I not surprised?

Colonel Gentile, a strategic bombing expert
who also was a cavalry squadron commander in Iraq in 2006, concludes that I am
both simplistic and dangerous: "In one sense Mr. Ricks is right that the American army has
not produced strategic thinkers in its higher ranks. But his simplistic
solution is also quite dangerous if the policymakers and others who read it
come to believe it is true. America at war with Syria, Iran, Yemen, sure -- just
relieve a few generals, get the right ones in place, and victory will be
assured."

Then, in a really low blow for a historian, he accuses me of
having the mindset of a political scientist: "He undertakes a political science approach to
the exploration and analysis of history, developing a template and then
compelling the past to conform to that template."

He also says the book is a regression from the works of John
Keegan. Well, if I have to regress from anyone, I'll take Keegan. I am not as
good a baseball player as Derek Jeter, either. 

What I don't get is that he accuses me of failing to show
that relief of generals leads to better results. I don't know how he can say
that, given that I discuss how Africa went better after Fredendall was ousted,
Anzio went better after Lucas was booted and Truscott took over, Korea went
better after Ridgway went over there and started cleaning house.

Does he think Vietnam would have gone any
worse had any generals been relieved for being ineffective? But then Gentile is
a big fan of Westmoreland -- "Westmoreland, I think, was very
efficient, very proper, highly intelligent, a good organizer, a good manager,
and I think up to a -- and I think a good leader" -- and I am not. 

Also,
I'd like to file an objection to the way he uses "narrative" like it was some
kind of dirty word. Rather, I think it is what makes us human -- putting
together events to try to make sense of the rushing world of reality. We know
other animals use tools, but as far as I know, we are the only animal that uses
narrative.