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The late author of Dune commented often on the mental stability of professional military men, especially flag officers. The over the top performance by Sterling Hayden as General Jack D. Ripper in the film "Dr. Strangelove" was obviously intended as a satire, but I'm willing to bet that there and are more than a few generals with stars on their shoulders and bats in their belfrys.
To cite only one example, in the book "Area 51 - An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base" by Annie Jacobsen, looking back on the Bay Of Pigs fiasco, LeMay said regretfully that "If we'd had a little more time we could have started World War Three". A statement of this nature is actually cause for a psychiatric 911 phone call.
It's been said that every other flag officer in the Pentagon could be fired and we would still have more than enough to run the military. Aside from all the jostling for more rank and career backstabbing, which has always been rampant, it might be a good idea to maintain extra close and detailed psychological profiles on those who have the most military authority. USAFSS60 ( talk) 03:39, 22 November 2016 (UTC) USAFSS60 11-21-16
As of 2018-12-21 the section on the "Cuban Missile Crisis" includes the claim that, "Unknown to the US, the Soviet field commanders in Cuba had been given authority to launch nuclear weapons under their control—the only time such authority was delegated by higher command.<ref name=Rhodes575/>
I'm deleting the phrase, "the only time such authority was delegated by higher command", because it is contradicted by multiple other sources including the following:
DavidMCEddy ( talk) 01:15, 22 December 2018 (UTC)
In several places the article uses the term "strategic bombing". I suggest that somewhere the term should be given a brief definition or explanation.
While the term is widely used in discussion of aerial warfare, it seems to me that the term is a euphemism, a sugar coating for a strategy encompassing large-scale attacks on cities, with major civilian casualties. The general reader of this article may not understand what is meant by the term, and hence it seems appropriate to me to give it some sort of brief, parenthetical definition somewhere in the article. CoffeeBeans9 ( talk) 17:57, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
Ok, so I want to see if we could get a discussion on the matter going, but it is of my opinion that we should at least nominate this article for "Good Article Status".
This is a well-formated, extremely edited, and sourced article. While I suspect the ratings of the article (list in the project above) are out of date, I think this article would regardless qualify.
Prior to a nomination, we should try to discuss it(so please do so below), but I wanted to bring this to your attention. Willthehelpfuleditor ( talk 17:37, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
BilCat says they "Removed unsourced or improperly sourced pop culture items per WP:MILPOP - "'In popular culture' sections should be avoided unless the subject has had a well-cited and notable impact on popular culture." It's hard to think of a better known general in popular culture. According to Fred Kaplan in the New York Times: " ' Dr. Strangelove,' Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film about nuclear-war plans run amok, is widely heralded as one of the greatest satires in American political or movie history....It was no secret -- it would have been obvious to many viewers in 1964 -- that General Ripper looked a lot like Curtis LeMay, the cigar-chomping, gruff-talking general." [Fred Kaplan, "Truth Stranger Than 'Strangelove' " The New York Times Oct. 10, 2004.] As for cites: it is a Wikipedia policy that citing the title of a novel or film is adequate--it is citing a reliable primary source about that novel or film. Furthermore an editor can make noncontroversial factual statements based on the primary source according to WP:PRIMARY @ Bilcat @ BilCat:, Rjensen ( talk) 06:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
Implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II.
I wish to respectfully say that it wasn't controversial during the Pacific theater of World War II. 96.55.136.16 ( talk) 08:35, 7 August 2022 (UTC)
Lemay joining the Air Corps Reserve in October 1929 would seem to be part of his career?
I suggest moving, without edits, the text referring to this at the bottom of the Early life section;
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Corps Reserve in October 1929. He received a regular commission in the United States Army Air Corps in January 1930. While finishing at Ohio State, he took flight training at Norton Field in Columbus, in 1931–32. On June 9, 1934, he married Helen Maitland.
..to the start of the Career section.
SmallMoves (
talk) 06:08, 29 October 2022 (UTC)