[Leatherneck]

The CO of the First Marines was relieved as his regiment was fighting its way through An Najereya (sp). Nobody was saying why, and speculation among Marines that know him sort of favored the theory that he was too aggressive, killing too many. Remember this: it's salient.
Today I learned that he was relieved on the recommendation of LtGen Bobby Magnus of HQMC. See http://www.usmc.mil/genbios2.nsf/biographies/DAEB51233C70D2A68525680800617651?opendocument. General Magnus believed that Colonel Dowdy was not being aggressive enough, because the First Marines were *God forbid* "bogged down." This in the Pentagon, which is Inside The Beltway. Where all the papers have been quick to say that the attack was planned poorly and our armed forces were behind plan, or some such idiocy,

The reason nobody was talking about it is that nobody believed that Dowdy was anything but the fast-rising, solid, loyal and caring Marine officer his record reflects, and his friends know.:barf:

My take, to our eternal shame, is that a Marine General with a Napoleonic complex and noted political awareness sacked a field fighter for political reasons. I can't tell you how much that pisses me off. Watch the LA Times tomorrow for their take on this.:fire:

TC
TFL Survivor

[Bruce H]

Read this ticket punching sob's resume. There needs to be one more casualty in the Iraqi freedom conflict.

[SIGarmed]

Yep. If what you say is true this non infantry officer would be second guessing a field commander in a war. I'd like to know how he would do as commander of a line unit in the FMF?
I'm glad we don't need to find out though for obvious reasons.

[Blackhawk]

Magnus seems like a perfumed prince to me.

How'd he avoid a tour in Vietnam?

How'd he get a DSM?

[ahadams]

gentlemen, gentlemen, you are forgetting the end result of any successful military campaign: the innocent are punished, the guilty are ignored, and the uninvolved get promoted. I thought everybody knew that was SOP.:rolleyes:

More seriously though, *all*jobs at O-6 and above are political and no it shouldn't be that way, but that's just the way it is.

[Blackhawk]

More seriously though, *all*jobs at O-6 and above are political and no it shouldn't be that way, but that's just the way it is.
Arlin speaks the truth....

[Leatherneck]

Amen, Arlen. Unfortunately.:fire: :banghead:

TC

[Sergeant Bob]

Colonel Dowdy can probably forget about getting a star now too. Real hard to get promoted after you've been relieved of a command! His career is pretty much finished! Those REMF's will likely sprain their arms patting themselves on the back, taking credit for what guys like Col Dowdy did in the field!:fire:

[Scott Evans]

http://www.cpp.usmc.mil/test.htm?http&&&www.cpp.usmc.mil/1mardiv/1MarReg/co.htm

[BigG]

gentlemen, gentlemen, you are forgetting the end result of any successful military campaign: the innocent are punished, the guilty are ignored, and the uninvolved get promoted. I thought everybody knew that was SOP.

Words fail me. That is so true. I hate it but it certainly happens. :barf:

[COHIBA]

FRAG him.

[hops]

Why should the military sector be any less screwed up that the civillian sector. Seen the same B.S. in the civi sector for 20 years.

It's not what you know, but whom you know, as my mother always reminds me.

Did not the greatest of the great, Gen. Norman H. Schwartzkopf berate Gen. Tommy Franks for moving his Corps a bit too slow during the left-hook manuever during Desert Storm???

Looks like Gen. Franks gets the last laugh afterall.

[Al Thompson]

Uh hops, that was Freddy Franks - different GO.

[Bruce H]

Leatherneck anything else on this dude?

[clem]

LtGen. Magnus is a aviator.........I wonder?

[Blackhawk]

LtGen. Magnus is a aviator.........I wonder?No, he's not, Clem. He's just a :barf: with wings. :fire:

[Leatherneck]

Headquarters is keeping a very low profile on this one. Unusually so. Consensus seems to be that, in response to media reports of "Bogdown" in the early days of the war, some GOs here knee-jerked and raised a hue and cry for the First Marines to hurry up and move out. Colonel Dowdy, consistent with his reputation as a leader who took extraordinarily good care of his Marines, was reluctant to do anything that would unduly jeopardize their chances of success (and safety). Not to say that he wussed out at all, BTW; but the image-conscious GOs won out and word was passed that his OpsO was to take over, which he did.
There's very likely a lot more real inside info on who said what, but that's tightly held. Depending on what you assume for the missing details, you would be right in either a pro-Dowdy view, or (in light of the near-immediate success of the Regiment moving up to Baghdad), a view that the Corps did the right thing. My personal bias is to go down on the side of the Marine in combat unless and until I'm shown undeniable proof that something's wrong. YMMV.
:confused: :confused:

Semper Fi

TC
TFL Survivor