Military Review English Edition September-October 2013 | Page 60
rarely reflected reality.7 Lt. Gen. William Peers, the lead investigator for the My Lai atrocity, reported a massive cover-up: “Efforts were made at every level of command from company to division to withhold and suppress information.”8 In a 1974 report that surveyed officers from six service schools, close to half admitted they had submitted false reports to higher, including inaccurate officer efficiency reports, body counts, and numbers of soldiers going absent without leave.9 When in command, Westmoreland not only believed he could control the media’s message but also fell victim to the upbeat propaganda he had directed: “The stubborn commitment of the high command to error defies belief,” the historian John Gates later said, referring to Westmoreland and other Vietnam War generals, “but the evidence of it would seem to be overwhelming.”10 Those leaders who lied to investigators about what had happened at My Lai or who, serving on juries, refused
this gap is often due to institutionally reinforced self-deception.11 The worst aspect of indulging in inaccurate selfassessments is the erosion of trust that accompanies it. When an institution adopts false beliefs about itself, it corrodes itself. Our institution’s unwitting promotion of self-deception remains not only the biggest obstacle to meaningfully professionalizing our military, but also remains a significant impediment to our Army’s fulfilling its core mission—defending the nation by winning favorable, enduring outcomes from our nation’s wars.
The Siren Song of Self-Deception
Our institution’s unwitting promotion of self-deception remains…the biggest obstacle to meaningfully professionalizing our military…
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