Nov
02
2008
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Lt. Colonel John Galt (Ret.) |
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Written by JD Johannes
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Sunday, 02 November 2008 |
(Note: In the occasional blog posts I get the time to read in Iraq, I've kept up with Dr. Helen's "Going John Galt" series.
Depending on the turns of history, there could be another type of Galt, not from the business class, but the Guardian class. Allow me to illustrate with this fictional news item. JD)
Lieutenant Colonel John Galt, who commanded an Army Infantry Battalion during the Baghdad Surge, resigned his commission today after declining promotion to full Colonel and the command of an infantry brigade.
Galt's former Battalion, 'The Falcons' was credited with taming some of the most violent districts of Baghdad and the techniques he used have been applied by other units with great success. The success of 'The Falcons' was cited by the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, the Secretary of Defense and even the former President.
"He was on track for a Division command, Corps Command even being a combatant commander," said Lt. Col. Phil Jackson (Ret.) "but he was not willing to take a Brigade to Iraq just to be a rear guard on the withdrawal. Galt wins. He finishes the mission. He does not intentionally lose."
Jackson also recently resigned his commission after a tour as a Battalion Commander.
Galt graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in History and Economics before being commissioned and earned a Masters Degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins. He previously served tours in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.
Galt is one of many commanders and field grade officers taking retirement rather than promotion. The trend is also appearing in the Staff NCO Corps as veteran Platoon Sergeants, 1st Sergeants and Sergeants Major are failing to reenlist.
"It is the largets brain and experience drain ever to occur to the U.S. Military," said Thomas Brow, a Sr. Fellow at the Strategic Research Institute, a think tank that tracks trends in national security.
Brow said the loss of experienced and dynamic military leaders will be noted by rivals to the U.S. "They see men like Galt leaving and know that the 'Junior Varsity' will be leading troops for the next generation. The implications for international strategy and negotiations are immense."
Galt left his last post without ceremony, packing up his family and moving to his retirement home in Knoxville, TN where he works part-time as a clerk at small book store.
When asked in person why he left the military after a disguinished career with a bright future he did not comment and only shrugged.
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