'The walk' thrusts Gen. Milley reluctantly into spotlight

In his first eight months as chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley carefully crafted a low-key public profile. He knew that splashy and sassy were unlikely to endear him to his boss, President Donald Trump. n “ walk” happened. Milley, in his camoufl battle dress uniform, strolled with Trump and a presidential entour across Lafayette Square on June 1 to be positioned in front of a church where Trump held up a Bible for photographers. Critics immediately hit Milley, nation's top military officer, for appearing to be a political pawn. On Thursday, he finally spoke out.

“It was a mistake,” he said — simple words that thrust square-jawed general into public spotlight like never before. That might t sit well with a president who dislikes any hint of criticism of his std events, let alone criticism from those serving under him.

Milley's words drew praise from some members of Congress, including Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, but ded a new layer of tension between Pentagon and White House. That tension burst into public last week with Defense Secretary Mark Esper openly breaking with Trump on use of federal troops to quell protests.

Milley's willingness to mit he erred reflects a personal commitment to a principle deeply rooted in American military trition: that members of military are apolitical, sworn to defend Constitution, t a president. Civilians are supposed to control military, but t for personal political gain.

That commitment h been questioned after walk. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Iraq War veteran, said seeing Milley and Esper “walking like lapdogs” behind Trump sends “a horrifying mess to our troops — including our black and brown troops — that our military’s leers will t protect m from unlawful orders.”

Former senior military leers also weighed in, though in many cases didn’t mention Milley by name. Jim Mattis, retired Marine general who was Trump’s first defense chief, called it “a bizarre photo op for elected commander in chief, with military leership standing alongside.”

But it was Milley, along with or senior officials, who was urging Trump t to carry out his threat to deploy active-duty troops in D.C. As part of that effort, he spent time at main security operations center, working to ensure that National Guard members were in right places and h what y needed to protect city, so active-duty forces would t be required.

Striding along streets talking with Guard members, he was a formidable figure with his piercing look, close-cropped gray hair, bushy eyebrows and imposing size. He talked openly about need for troops to enable peaceful protests while also preventing violence.

Military generals are kwn for ir egos, and Milley is exception. Reserved is t a word one would use to describe Massachusetts native. He is forceful, given to bouts of temper but quick with a laugh and a sharp retort.

A student of military history, Milley peppers his conversations with references to lessons learned during America’s wars, details of which he can recite instantly. He is given to regaling visitors to his official residence above Arlington National Cemetery with stories about history of house and its previous occupants.

Milley’s far, Alexander, served as a Navy corpsman with 4th Marine Division during World War II and fought with m at Battle of Iwo Jima. In a speech in January, Milley recalled walking beach where his far landed and said he “began to imagine what hell on earth was like and that was Iwo Jima.” Reflecting on costs of war, he took that moment to repeat his conviction that military's job is to preserve Constitution and prevent such war from happening again.

After four deces in military, Milley was a somewhat surprising pick by Trump to be Joint Chiefs chairman, a position that is pinnacle of any military career. He h been serving as chief of staff of Army when Mattis was rey in 2018 to recommend to White House who should succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman. Milley was tably t his choice.

Trump, however, disregarded Mattis' vice and chose Milley, saying, “He’s a great gentleman, he’s a great patriot, he’s a great soldier."

Two weeks later Mattis submitted his resignation, a move widely attributed to his disagreement with Trump over pulling out of Syria but also linked to his disappointment at Trump overruling him on Milley, who became chairman on Oct. 1, 2019. He commands troops but is principal military viser to president, secretary of defense and National Security Council.

Milley is kwn in military as a charismatic leer who commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He hasn't been afraid to offer candid and sometimes blunt assessments, including to Congress. In 2017, he monished House Armed Services Committee for being slow to approve a defense budget, slamming inaction as “professional malpractice.”

In his three years as Army chief of staff, he helped shepherd groundbreaking move of women into front-line infantry and or combat positions. He also played a role in one of Army’s more contentious criminal cases, making early decision to charge former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before enemy. Bergdahl abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held captive by Taliban. He was eventually found guilty and dishorably discharged.

A native of Winchester and a vocal fan of Red Sox and or Boston teams, Milley received his Army commission in 1980 from Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He has two master's degrees.

An infantry officer by training, he also commanded Special Forces units in a career that has included deployments in invasion of Panama in 1989 and multinational mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina to implement Dayton Peace Accords.