Let's see - a retired Colonel with a command of 1000's, and a multimillion dollar budget is a manual laborer???
It seems to me that in order to be an officer in the Army, or any of the branches, you need to have at least a bachelor's degree to start as a 2nd lieutenant. I read somewhere that in order to make it to Major, you will probably have to have at least a master's degree. To make it to Colonel, it's not unusual to have a PhD. So why would a guy with the education required to make it all the way to a colonel be working a "manual labor" job? You would think he would be a great catch for a high managerial position at a successful company, wouldn't you?