Of Generals and Cowmen

 

To the Cowmen

Of Generals and Cowmen

Emancipation

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

 

            It is true the extended readings of George Patton as of late have left the undeniable impression that the parallels with the recent past president are stunningly similar.

            Born of moderate wealth, both men could be characterized only as somewhat intellectual. They both shared lifelong tendencies of singlemindedness. From the view of numbers of men they interacted with, the many shared disdain and even contempt for them, their actions, and mannerisms.

            It was the people that stayed the course, extended their loyalty, performed steadfastly, and fought the battles alongside him (both figuratively and literally) that emerged with a completely different perspective and devotion. In the case of the former, the story and lessons of his life are largely captured and assessed. The fact is the American army as well as the Allies couldn’t deal with him, but they couldn’t perform consistently without him, either. Legions attempted to dissect his actions and cast dispersions, but the battlefield foes that came to understand him most were never the voices that were offered a necessary historical context.

            The German army grew not just to respect him but feared him beyond all Allied leaders. They interpreted his brass and pomp as indicative of the color of his battlefield genius with all its uncertainty and the absence of convention and predictability. It wasn’t personal. It was professional. They were on the receiving end and it was not just uncomfortable. It was horrifying.

            Indeed, he was human and at times as frail as he was confident, but his instinct remained inviolate. Try to find his assessments of how WWII ended and how the world changed thereafter and the truly objective will find little to condemn.

            The script for the latter gentleman is yet to be written. Too few yet understand him much less comprehend what drives him. Like Patton, the critics are legion and poisonous, but like Patton, the voices of freedom may well find they cannot prevail in this epoch without his presence with all its human faults and surprises.

            To the Cowmen

            This matter of racism is a continuous feature of unrest. It is a tool of division and the agents of its spread are as tedious as they are numerous.

            The stewards of the American ranges, the cowmen, may well be the best model of true colorblindness. Arguably, it is the demands of their lives that sets aside the politics that otherwise divides our nation.

            Certainly, there is nary one among them that can be exempted from some form of prejudice, but, when the course of events places them into the physical interactions with their surroundings, something else takes place. Perhaps the parallel is no different to military battle, but when occurs some form of higher inspiration takes place. It is emotional. It is a bond that unites the whole relationship among men and animals. It is top down, and it is also bottom up.

            When it takes place, it becomes enshrined in your soul.

            It is formed from a team of individuals, a union of like minds. The cowboys might be red, Mexican, black, white, yellow, old, young, intellectual, or recluse, but never inexperienced. Inexperience has not yet grown to understand the knack of the unique relationship.

It will come, though, with time and commitment, and, when it emerges, it will change many things not the least of which is the equality and respect of the participants.

            Emancipation

            From the comparison of the two leaders, the suggestion that so many of the problems our nation now faces is that our leaders, even the best of them, were brought up with the absence of imagination and the suppression of boldness created by ensconced bureaucracy.

            With its growing superiority of means, the system itself has long been the cover from which the lazy and knighted officials of mediocrity have arisen. The recently departed president referred to this backdrop as the swamp, whereas the general referred to the condition in much more cryptic and backstreet words.

            Few men seem to emerge to be emancipated from that backdrop. Those that do are universally castigated and called bums, but they show suggestions they can be leaders.

            Word from the GAO this week is forecasting the national debt to rise to over 200% of the nation’s GDP (today’s incomprehensible level is 80%). Both Stonewall and Old Hickory would be appalled. Somebody better step up and start acting as an actual adult or the cocoon of playland created by impostor leaders is going to destroy any superiority by means.

            Of Generals and Cowmen

            Roy Gunter once told me there wasn’t much difference between him and the president other than the president was a bit bigger cow trader than he was.

            His deduction took place one morning shortly after sunup and in anticipation of yet another day of immense work. Of course, that work has now passed into the abyss of time much like Roy’s memory to the greater part of society, but it happened and remains intact in higher archives.

            Like the few genuinely great generals, there are other cowmen who, given the demand to act, could perform beyond the greater human expectation on many things that ail our nation. Jupe Means could stand eye to eye with equally diminutive Phil Sheraton and contribute logic to any complicated problem. Sherwood Culberson would be another as would Lee Rice, John Chisum, Charles Goodnight, and the heretofore mentioned Roy Gunter.

            These were pure leaders uncontaminated by artificial trappings.

            They might have apprehension but could gather before sunup and share a cup of coffee with the generals to discuss the seemingly impossible tasks at hand and make substantive contributions to the debate. When the day was done, there also stood a better than even chance the magic of judging a man solely on his performance and integrity would unite the whole.

            It would remain enshrined in your soul.

 

            Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico.