MORE THAN seven years ago, I wrote about the retirement of Gen. Eric Shinseki, the first American of Japanese ancestry to be appointed US Army chief of staff and the highest-ranking Asian-American in US military history.

A graduate of West Point Class of 1965, Shinseki lost his right foot and part of the lower leg in Vietnam, where he received his baptism of fire. The wounds almost ended his military career but he stayed on, outfitted with an artificial foot, and worked his way up the ranks, becoming an expert in peacekeeping operations. President Bill Clinton appointed him US Army chief of staff in June 1999.

Shinseki?s tour of duty as head of the US Army was marked by clashes with Pentagon officials, specifically Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz. One sensitive issue had to do with the size of the peacekeeping force required for postwar Iraq. Shinseki testified before Congress, mentioning the need for some 200,000 troops, a figure Wolfowitz publicly dismissed as ?wildly off the mark.?

It now appears that Shinseki was correct on the need for a greater number of troops to keep the peace after the invasion.

Both Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz boycotted Shinseki?s last formation as US Army chief of staff. His remarks during retirement ceremonies ended with the line with which he started his speech: ?My name is Shinseki, and I am a soldier. God bless you all. Thank you and goodbye.?

Today Gen. Eric Shinseki is a member of President Obama?s Cabinet, serving as secretary for veteran affairs.

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A few weeks ago, the US commander of NATO?s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, was fired from his job for public insubordination, as reported in an article by Michael Hastings in the magazine Rolling Stone, entitled ?The Runaway General?Stanley McChrystal, Obama?s top commander in Afghanistan, has seized control of the war by never taking his eye off the real enemy: the wimps in the White House.?

Some samples of his indelicate remarks:

?Last fall, during a question and answer session following a speech in London, McChrystal dismissed the counter-terrorism strategy being advocated by Vice President Joe Biden as ?short-sighted,? saying it would lead to a state of ?Chaos-istan.? The remarks earned him a smackdown from the President himself, who summoned the general to a terse private meeting aboard Air Force One. The message to McChrystal was clear: Shut the f--k up, and keep a lower profile.

?As he prepared for another speech in Paris, someone asked what kind of Biden question he might get this time. ?Are you asking about Vice President Biden?? McChrystal says with a laugh, ?Who?s that???

On another occasion, McChrystal checks on his Blackberry, ??Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke,? he groans. ?I don?t even want to open it.? He clicks on the message and reads the salutation out loud, then stuffs the Blackberry in his pocket, not bothering to conceal his annoyance.? (Richard Holbrooke serves as special envoy to the Afghan-Pakistan region.)

Soldiers are always griping about issues involving civilian authority over the military, particularly during wartime. They think oftentimes, that they know better than the civilians. But they generally keep things to themselves instead of going public. President Obama really had no choice but to sack McChrystal and to name Gen. David Petraeus as his successor.

Last Friday, the US Army honored McChrystal in retirement ceremonies at the Fort McNair parade grounds.

A graduate of West Point Class of 1976, McChrystal had a reputation as a wide reader, prone to spending much of his free time browsing through old bookstores and boning up on Shakespeare?s writings.

In paying tribute to McChrystal, Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that as a three-star general, McChrystal went out on night missions with his teams, subjecting himself to their hardships and dangers. After one such operation, some of his British comrades declared Stan McChrystal as ?the highest-paid rifleman in the US Army.?

Gates went on to praise McChrystal, ?as he enters this next phase of his life, he does so with the gratitude of the nation he did so much to protect, and with his place secure as one of America?s greatest warriors.?

Perhaps just as touching were McChrystal?s own remarks. ?My service did not end as I would have wished. And there are misperceptions about the loyalty and service of some dedicated professionals, that will likely take some time to correct.

?The 34 years I spent as an Army officer have been a combination of surprise that any experience could have been rich and fulfilling as mine was. . . That?s what I feel. And if I fail to communicate this effectively tonight, I will simply remind you that Secretary Gates once told me, that I was a modern Patton of strategic communications.

?I need to address two questions that we?ve been asked of lately. The first is, ?What are you going to do?? Actually, I?m thinking that I would be a good fashion consultant and spokesman for Gucci?but they haven?t called. The second has to do with my wife, Annie. After years apart, we are doing well and are reconnecting.?

On President Obama:

?I want to thank the many leaders, civilian and military of our nation, beginning with President Obama, for whom and with whom I was honored to serve... the common denominator of selfless service has been inspiring.?

On his wife Annie:

?In Afghanistan, I once considered using Annie?s Italian shoe purchases as an argument to get Italy to send additional forces. But I have no control over that part of the McChrystal economy. But she is here, like she?s always been around when it mattered. Always gorgeous. For three-and-a-half years, she was my girlfriend; then, fianceé, and for over 33 years, she?s been my wife.?

On doing things all over again:

?If I had to do it over again, I?d do some things in my career differently, but not many. I believed in people and I still believe in them. I trusted and I still trust. I cared and I still care. I wouldn?t have it any other way. Winston Churchill said, ?We make a living by what we get. But we make a life by what we give. To the young leaders of today and tomorrow, it?s a great life.?