And they have observed that the original -- unimaginative -- military plan for Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War was rejected by the civilian leadership, which ordered a return to the drawing board.

WSJ: Our Generals Almost Cost Us Iraq

Such an image is further illuminated in the acclaimed account of Operation Desert Storm, The Generals' War, written by retired Marine General Bernard Trainor and New York Times correspondent Michael Gordon.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Although they have fought bravely and in the end successfully, it will be a long time before overseas aggressors again view them with the awe exhibited after Operation Desert Storm and the Balkan air war.

FORBES: Iraq: The Biggest Mistake In American Military History