Just last week he tied a knots in a whole lot of tails because of how lax and complacent many of the troops were becoming. Five soldiers had died in accidents that were the result of carelessness and complacity and he wanted the situation corrected. There's a good chance this Lt. Colonel was on the receiving end of that himself.
It is very, very easy for troops to become lax and complacent when their stuck in some field garrison; it's hot, dusty and they are bored. And when those conditions slip in things start sliding, and when they start sliding our troops don't just loose their edge, they die.