McChrystal is a professional soldier, Paco.

When a soldier is issued orders from up the chain of command, it's his duty to salute and say, "Yes, sir!" and then go execute the orders.   It is NOT his job or privilege to try to go "over the head" of his commander, in effect, to the public. That's almost the definition of "contrary to good order and discipline".

As a responsible officer he had a right (and maybe a duty) if he disagreed with the policy or the orders handed down, to pass his views to the Commander, but if the Commander doesn't choose to take his advice it's the officer's function, as above, to salute and carry out the orders, and not to attack the command structure above him in public.

And as to "freedom of speech", I've got news for you: The Army is not a democracy! Never has been. Never can be.

Actually, McChrystall did have freedom of speech, come to think of it. And he exercised it. And as with all of us, (as Sinsull said) it had a cost.

I've not heard whether he resigned the position voluntarily, or was asked (nice way of saying "told") to resign it, or was relieved of the command (fired) unilaterally by the President.   But he had to know when he sounded off in the public prints that it was EXTREMELY unlikely that he would remain in the command position he occupied.

Dave Oesterreich