"These were not isolated cases"
For sure. I was an interested observer/mil.spouse in the 70s and didn't understand a lot of the things that happened. I asked hubby why big bucks would be paid for remodelling a commissary on a base that had a definite date for closure....response was that funds requested & allocated got spent. The RIF in 73 seemed to have no rhyme or reason....but then, those were the years when everyone heard this as an answer:
"Well, there's the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way"
The catch phrase at the time was, "Here, but for the grace of God . . ."
As far as I can tell, Byrnes is, or was, a survivor who never received a 'below the zone' promotion. I'm sure he sweated those RIFs. He wears the Reserve Officer medal, which means that he spent at least 10 years as an AUS Officer. He probably got his RA commission when DOPMA was instituted in the early 80's.