PrintAugust 18, 2004
Service reputation
I have the honor to be a graduate of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1967, which counts among its members Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tony Principi, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, and many other distinguished flag officers. We also count in our number John O'Neill, whose book Unfit For Command is the cause and subject of much political controversy these days.
Lost in the political sturm und drang, the back and forth charges and recriminations about John Kerry's Viet Nam service, is an important concept which may help explain why this argument is important in helping voters determine the fitness of the candidates. That concept is known in the military as a person's "service reputation."
Broadly defined, it is the collective judgment about one's abilities, character, and judgment by his peers, superiors, and subordinates. More honest and accurate than laudatory...(Read Full Article)
