{"689758":{"#nid":"689758","#data":{"type":"news","title":"McChrystal Brings Lesson on Character to Georgia Tech ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWork on your character, be honest with yourself, and never stop reading. That was the advice from retired U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal at a recent fireside chat in the John Lewis Student Center\u2019s Walter Ehmer Theater.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Character is the essence of who we are,\u0022 McChrystal told the audience, \u0022but it is also the product of the discipline we have to actually live to that.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe retired general visited campus April 13 at the invitation of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn his conversation with Nunn School Professor of the Practice John Tien, a former Army colonel and intelligence official, the retired general reflected on the fragility of national unity and the \u0022tactical choices\u0022 that define a life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcChrystal said vulnerability and the ability to admit error are crucial for developing leadership qualities. He told the audience about a decision he had made that later led operators to hesitate in calling for necessary air support, a mistake he owned instead of explaining away.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo sharpen the judgment required for such moments, McChrystal urged students to view reading as a way to experience the lives and mistakes of others.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs soon as you stop [reading], I think you stop thinking,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcChrystal noted the high level of distrust in government across much of society. Coming to expect lying or stealing from a political leader can lead some to conclude that it\u2019s ok for you to do that, too, he said. He urged audience members to resist that urge.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo counter political polarization and distrust, McChrystal proposed mandatory national service, suggesting that such a year spent serving other Americans and meeting those with different accents and attitudes would create \u0022shareholders\u0022 in the nation who are more likely to vote, and to engage with and learn from those from different backgrounds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech President \u00c1ngel Cabrera noted that the talk coincided with the launch of the Georgia Tech Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership and highlights the Institute\u2019s desire to graduate leaders prepared to guide society.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe don\u2019t say, \u0027We\u2019re going to educate engineers or architects,\u201d he said. \u201cWe say, \u2018We\u2019re going to develop leaders.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe former commander of U.S. special operations forces discussed his views on character, the state of society, and the eternal importance of reading.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The former commander of U.S. special operations forces discussed his views on character, the state of society, and the eternal importance of reading."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2026-04-15 15:03:04","changed_gmt":"2026-04-15 15:11:10","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679952":{"id":"679952","type":"image","title":"Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Nunn School Professor of the Practice John Tien","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFormer U.S. special operations commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, left, visited Georgia Tech on April 13, 2026, to discuss his views on character, society, the importance of reading, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1776265394","gmt_created":"2026-04-15 15:03:14","changed":"1776265394","gmt_changed":"2026-04-15 15:03:14","alt":"Two men dressed in sportscoats sitting in beige chairs with a blue curtain in the background. A table with water bottles sits between them.","file":{"fid":"264178","name":"PXL_20260413_163214147.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/15\/PXL_20260413_163214147.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/15\/PXL_20260413_163214147.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1789385,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/15\/PXL_20260413_163214147.jpg?itok=lJicG4X6"}}},"media_ids":["679952"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}