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I have never understood why "doing the right thing" almost always means committing career suicide.

Not in any way to compare myself to Col. West, but I experienced a similar situation in the nuclear power industry when I found a flaw in their emergency core cooling system. Getting it fixed cost me my career in that industry. In my mind, I had thought they would be grateful that I discovered a major flaw that neither the utility nor the vendor had forseen. That was not the case at all.

F.A. Hayek was correct: Those in charge of organizations care more about their personal feelings than the supposed mission of the organization.

I have found the above statement to be true even in so-called profit-oriented businesses.

The power that pure bureaucrats and rear echelon administrators has is fleeting and passing. What we do for truth and for right stand the test of time and remains a beacon long after we are pushed aside.

In addition, the good Lord has a way of rewarding us through the adversity to move on to other things that are for our benefit anyway as we continue to seek to do what is right. I have absolute faith and conviction in this truth.

As for the others who seek to thwart the good for their own selfish interests...well, water seeks out its own, lowest level.

Best Fregards my friend.

Bump to Col. West.

Human nature being what it is, and public school/mainstream media indoctrination being what it is, the Colonels actions and quietly dealing with the consequences is very refreshing. He has my admiration, and my prayers.

As to your experience in industry, the leaders generally act selfishly to the extent they have no care about the people below them (human nature), provided the organization continues to prosper and support their lifestyle. They also prefer that any shit hits the fan after their watch.

"Not in any way to compare myself to Col. West, but I experienced a similar situation in the nuclear power
industry when I found a flaw in their emergency core cooling system. Getting it fixed cost me my career in that
industry. In my mind, I had thought they would be grateful that I discovered a major flaw that neither the utility
nor the vendor had forseen. That was not the case at all. "

That's pretty amazing. People would rather shoot the messenger, even when the stakes are this high. I guess it's just human nature to be more concerned with your ego and how it might make you look bad than to do the right thing.

You and I have had a similar experience. I went to work for a company after they had been doing 3 years of math modeling, and Hughes had started work on the two fire-control consoles for this unnamed missile system.

After 2 weeks of reading documentation, I made a startling discovery. They were putting all 3 birds under software control and one of them needs a go-ahead call from the President and a 2-key lockbox between the consoles! I wrote a Memo for the Record to my boss, and my Dept. Head.

What did I hear? Thank you - we've saved hundreds of millions of dollars because the ship bay to handle these has to be changed, and the consoles have to have a Telephone and keypad attachment? No. I heard "We have been working on this design for 3 years and you come along and wreck it. Who do you think you are?"

I couldn't believe my ears. I was being blamed for their mistake because they'd only hired me 2 weeks ago. Instead of getting credit for saving them and other contractors thousands of dollars by a quick-redesign, I was blamed FOR the redesign. Instead of getting thanks and an award for "Employee of the month", and maybe even a bonus, I was castigated, mocked, and had a group leader who went out of his way to make my life miserable until I could find another job, and get out of there.

And that's not the end of it. For that job, I only needed a Secret. At my next company, I needed a TS with an Extensive Background Investigation. This group leader and the team leader wrote lies and put it under the Confidential restrictions. Fortunately for me, that year, the FOIA had been passed, and I had the right to request to read what these idiots had put in my file. I made the request, read the lies, wrote a letter of "repudiation", got the Dept. Head still at that company to write a truthful letter, and I was finally read in for my clearances.

But talk about doing the right thing and getting hell for it?

Been there, done that and still have the bruises. Fortunately for me, the Dept. Head wrote the letter of repudiation of what those other two clowns had written. If he hadn't, I suppose my career in the DoD contractor world would have ended, right then and there.

But I'll tell you - the injustice of it burns me to this day. The fact that because I had studied nuclear energy, knew the Nuclear Regulatory Agencies rules and pointed them out, to the BENEFIT of this employer but was made a scapegoat for their ineptitude has never ceased to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I pray that LTC. West retains full rank, is allowed to retire with full pay for his grade, and live a peaceful and pleasant life with his family. I know the Army will not let him stay in, and his career path is topped.

And I agree with Lazamataz's comment above - that this could be the beginning of new opportunities for LTC West - that there are so many places where his talent and his initiative would be rewarded, I pray that God leads him to them.

God bless you, LTC West.

"I have never understood why "doing the right thing" almost always means committing career suicide."

Unfortunately, even conservatives occasionally suffer from the liberal tendency to project our own beliefs and operational philosophy onto others. As a person who does their best to live by the Golden Rule, I cannot afford to assume that others live by the same philosophy. As a Christian I am told to operate as a wise serpent, but to do so with the gentleness of a lamb.

I have never understood why "doing the right thing" almost always means committing career suicide.

This occurs whenever the freedom to speak to someone else's responsibility is valued more highly than sticking to your own business. Rank and file has no mercy for wise guys. It can only say, wait until it's your turn.

I remember an episode from "Gomer Pyle USMC" (do I ever feel old now). In it, Gomer and his peers were responsible for training guard dogs. Well, at inspection time (with senior military officials present), Gomer and his peers had to demonstrate what they had taught the dogs. All of them displayed the required aggressiveness. But, Gomer's dog was docile and friendly. Sarge of course was furious at Gomer for making the dog this way. But then the senior officer said, "?Private? Pyle, you are to be commended. This dog would never have been able to function in a war situation. Thank you for identifying this problem now, rather than in a war situation."

Do you think that would ever happen in real life?