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Suffice to say, there are reasons that he spent 20 years AD and only made it to LTC.
He's a failure...through and through.

My dad was a Marine 22 years and retired a Lt. Col. He wasn't a failure as a Marine. He did get into some trouble early on, and the fact that Vietnam came around when it did pretty much saved his career, when they needed Warriors and not petty perfumed princes who could play a mean bridge game with the General's wife.

Mutt,

Writing as a retired Navy CAPT (O-6) who spent much of the last seven years of my career working with the Marine Corps and Special Forces (because the Navy retired my beloved A-6 Intruder before it retired me), other than Marines, few people understand the Corps.

The reality of “Every Marine a Rifleman” does not register with members of the other Services or civilians, until you have to serve, work, and live with the Marines.

It is much smaller, and more importantly has a much lower ratio of officers to enlisted that the other Services.

There are “quality cuts” in the Marine Corps for promotion to Corporal (E-4) and First Lieutenant (O-2) that are far more stringent than the other Services (read:non-existent in the other Services).

IMHO, making Staff Sergeant (E-6) in the Corps is far more difficult that making E-7 in the other Services.

There are not that many Colonel (O-6) billets in the Marines. A successful command tour as a Commander/Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) does not guarantee the same high probability of promotion to O-6 as it does in the other Services.

My Marine Corps Naval Academy classmates and I used to joke that we hoped we didn’t end up as Captains (Navy O-6, Marine Corps O-3) together.

Please thank your father for his superb service on behalf of the Nation for me.

...petty perfumed princes who could play a mean bridge game with the General's wife.

Let's just say this is one of the reasons that LTC George Scott only made it to LTC.

He was given a Battalion Command...where he continued to fail, according to some that served under him.

There are many reasons why one does not rise beyond LTC before 20...most of them having to do with being denied the opportunity to command, a situation not always the fault of the officer.

All indicators are that this officer was just your typical ass-kissing liberal suck-up officer...a useful idiot...but not much of a warrior.

I have served with many good officers, who, through no fault of their own, did not get key schooling (because they were out fighting the stupid little skirmishes that we seem to need to be involved in all around the world), or they were prior enlisted and were commissioned thru OCS...a definite anchor that many good officers have to drag for 20 years.

The ring-knockers also have a definite bias against non-ring-knockers and they will arbitrarily and without good cause, often hold an officer back simply because of his Alma Mater or the fact that he is not a Pointer.

But in this guy's case...and from the info I've gleaned with just a brief inquiry...he's exactly what I said...a cream-puff shit-talker, flaming liberal asshole.

In short...a total failure...period.