By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

Did General McChrystal take his dog-eared copy of Jean Lartéguy’s novel “The Centurions” with him to Afghanistan? He probably has a copy of the sequel “The Praetorians”, also. McChrystal and Petreaus read this at West Point a few years ago. So what?

This book was first published in 1962 in America and along with Bernard Fall’s books, gained a cult following in certain circles in the US Army. A French colonel who served in Algeria introduced me to the book in a 1972 course of study called “Revolutionary Warfare”. He had fought in Algeria with the real people upon whom the author based his characters, like Colonel Raspeguy, Captain Esclavier, and Captain Glatigny (a few of the "centurions" in the book). This Colonel had known Colonels Bigeard and Jean-Pierre.

"The Centurions" traces French officers from their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, to the prison camp, to their repatriation back to France; reforming a regiment and deploying the regiment to the next war: Algeria. Obvious that a “never again” attitude pervades. Chilling but pragmatic is their decision to adopt the tactics of the Viet Minh, especially the psychological ones; and most notably the techniques of torture.

Yes, this book is a quiet favorite in the military because it captures the frustrations of soldiering, the pains of memory, and the cold realities of the tactics required to defeat a tenacious, capable, psychologically strong enemy.

Like many books, this one means different things to different people and when people who have read this book gather, in my experience, the conversation always drifts to the present events. Maybe Stanley opened his copy to this opening page today and read:

“We had been told, on leaving our native soil, that we were going to defend the sacred rights conferred on us by so many of our citizens settled overseas, so may years of our presence, so many benefits brought by us to populations in need of our assistance and civilization.

We were able to verify that all this was true, and, because it was true, we did not hesitate to shed our quota of blood, to sacrifice our youth and our hopes. We regretted nothing, but whereas we over here are inspired by this frame of mind, I am told that in Rome factions and conspiracies are rife, that treachery flourishes, and that many people in their uncertainty and confusion lend a ready ear to the dire temptations of relinquishment and vilify our action.

I cannot believe all this is true and yet recent wars have shown how precarious such a state of mind could be and where it could lead.

Make haste to reassure me, I beg you, and tell me that our fellow citizens understand us, support us and protect us as we ourselves are protecting the glory of the Empire.

If it should be otherwise, if we should have to leave our bleached bones on these desert sands in vain, then beware of the anger of the Legions!”

Marcus Flavinius
Centurion of the 2nd Cohort of the
Augustus Legion
To his Cousin Tortullus in Rome

But the book serves as a warning. The French Army learned a hard lesson about civilian control. Our military has that lesson and a few others to read. I believe they understand the complexities at work today better than Lartéguy’s centurions. So in reading the above, I don’t think McChrystal is angry at all. He’s waiting for orders. He’s done his assessment and made his recommendations. He is the Theater Commander, not the Commander-in-Chief.

...and by now, the insurgents and those studying to rebel someday, have read this book as well. There are well read copies of this on all sides now.