Courtney,
Maybe it is different in the US, but I doubt it. Here is a US Navy Admiral (Ret.) speaking out about history and how it could have been modified after the fact. I don't think it is so much furthering their careers as saving their careers. There is a chain of command that even Admirals and Generals must follow, they aren't really the top dogs.
http://m.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=51fe948515b4