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August 10, 2005
Not by Chance

As an US military general officer you may:

  • publicly promote religious fundamentalism
  • allow human rights abuse
  • lie to Congress

and then you may even get a promotion.

But as a general officer you may never ever have an extramarital affair with a private citizen. Especially not while your divorce is still pending and you are only six month away from retirement. If caught, you will be relieved from your command immediately.

4-Star General Relieved Of Duty

[General] Byrnes, reached by telephone at his home yesterday, declined to comment. His defense attorney, Lt. Col. David H. Robertson, said the allegation against Byrnes involves an affair with a private citizen. Byrnes has been separated from his wife since May 2004; their divorce was finalized on Monday, coincidentally the same day he was relieved of command, Robertson said.
…
The Army has been hurt over the past year by detainee-abuse cases and has been accused of not going after top officers allegedly involved in such abuse. Army officials said relieving Byrnes was meant to show the public that the service takes issues of integrity seriously.

This is a sure way to destroy the small rest of moral fabric left in the US Army. And it´s not done by chance. Like the Plame leak this is supposed to send a message.

You are not safe. We, the civilian leadership can get at you. No matter how high your rank or how small your failure. You serve at "our pleasure".

Posted by b on August 10, 2005 at 07:02 UTC | Permalink
Comments

This seems like a sick joke: could it be an espionage case? There HAS to be more here than we have been told. If this standard had been in force Eisenhower would have been removed from command before D-day.
Fighting Joe Hooker must be turning in his grave.

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Aug 10 2005 7:18 utc | 1

My first thought was espionage. My second thought was his tryst might be with Jenna, not-Jenna, or someone else similarly, ah, well-endowed. My third thought was that nothing in the WaPo piece says that his counterpart was female.

Posted by: Jassalasca Jape | Aug 10 2005 7:41 utc | 2

@ Jassalasca Jape
You’d have the makings of a first rate conspiracy theorist, should you ever decide to “indulge” in such
passtimes. (;-)

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Aug 10 2005 7:46 utc | 3

I make an exception to my usual attitude of scepticism for conspiracies involving only two consenting adults and a jar of ointment. Besides, the US Army says there was an affair, so it’s gotta be true!

Posted by: Jassalasca Jape | Aug 10 2005 8:01 utc | 4

Could there be something else?
Notice that his command is headquartered at Fort Monroe, Virginia — YES…the very Fort Monroe where the much-discussed nuclear attack “exercise” is being run from *right now*, this very month of August 2005.
Is that part of the equation somehow?

link

Posted by: jj | Aug 10 2005 8:02 utc | 5

Well if he was involved with training and recruitment maybe he was getting a bit shrill about the problems caused by the Iraq War. This shuts him up and discredits in advance anything he might say in public.

Posted by: Colman | Aug 10 2005 8:12 utc | 6

jj: Well, it does seems as though he wasn’t keeping his precious bodily fluids to himself, doesn’t it? I’d be willing to bet he wasn’t imbibing only ethanol and pure rainwater, either.
Coleman: Maybe. But how does it help the Army to have him outside the tent pissing in? If he is party to a fatal accident in the new few days I’ll do a rethink, but this looks more like an attempt to head off a more mundane embarrassment to the armed services. I know it seems drastic, but hey, we’re at war. The President said so. Pretty recently too, so I think he still means it.

Posted by: Jassalasca Jape | Aug 10 2005 8:22 utc | 7

jj: nuclear attack exercice? And we know what happened when they did the “hijacked planes exercice”, don’t we? You’re not hinting at that, are you?

Posted by: CluelessJoe | Aug 10 2005 8:23 utc | 8

Pre-emptive discrediting: anything he says now is coming from a man bitter and out for revenge.

Posted by: Colman | Aug 10 2005 8:50 utc | 9

@ Colman
Hey, you’re eligible for “conspiracy theorist” credentials now too!!! Who’da thunk it?

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Aug 10 2005 9:13 utc | 10

Ha ha, maybe they fired him just to show em’ all they could fire somebody just because they felt like it.

Posted by: anna missed | Aug 10 2005 9:23 utc | 11

They sacked one of the gatekeepers!

The SAPR also includes an awareness and education program for Soldiers. Annual training is mandatory for all ranks, and “highly recommended” to civilian employees, according to AR-600-20 — the regulation that governs the program. DoD wants all members of the U.S. Armed Forces to fully understand the definition of sexual assault, the serious ramifications of such crimes, and the reporting procedures that now include better advocacy for victims.
“Sexual assault is a violation of Army core values and standards,” Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes, TRADOC commander, wrote in an April 2004 memorandum distributed among his key agencies and highlighted in a Feb. 4 “Casemate” article. “Leaders will take an active role in eradicating sexual assault in the Army. The chain of command will provide a safe and secure environment to ensure victims know their concerns are being addressed while protecting the rights of the accused.”

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 10 2005 9:38 utc | 12

More Info:
“http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/28/sto…42802061600.htm
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2004
U.S. tactics in Iraq carry Israeli imprint
MANAMA, APRIL 27. In enforcing its siege around Fallujah, the U.S. has employed tactics similar to the ones that Israel has adopted against Palestinian fighters, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The U.S.-Israeli connection in this field can be traced to the April 2002 battle of Jenin in the West Bank, defence analysts say. American troops, soon after this clash, were reportedly sent for training to the mock Arab town that the Israeli Army had created in the Tzrifin area of the southern Negev Desert.
The U.S. publication Defence News has reported that in December 2003, senior Israeli military officers hosted a series of meetings involving a U.S. team headed by Gen. Kevin Byrnes, commander of the U.S. army’s training and doctrine command. ”

Posted by: curious | Aug 10 2005 11:27 utc | 13

Saw this over at ASZ.
Apparently officers can’t spray paint cars either:
LINK

Posted by: Groucho | Aug 10 2005 12:30 utc | 14

Hey, you’re eligible for “conspiracy theorist” credentials now too!!! Who’da thunk it?

I don’t think that recognising an established pattern of firing people on pretexts counts as a conspiracy theory.

Posted by: Colman | Aug 10 2005 12:43 utc | 15

Actually, what hadn’t occurred to me was that in the US a separated officer having an affair would be considered embarrassing. Over here in Catholic Ireland we elect people in that situation to be the head of government. The idea of sacking a military officer on that basis seems entirely bizarre. I can see the problem from a security point of view, but that only counts if the wife doesn’t know.

Posted by: Colman | Aug 10 2005 12:49 utc | 16

@ jj:

Notice that his command is headquartered at Fort Monroe, Virginia — YES…the very Fort Monroe where the much-discussed nuclear attack “exercise” is being run from *right now*, this very month of August 2005.

Is there other information on this? (kinda close to home)

Posted by: beq | Aug 10 2005 13:07 utc | 17

Hmm. I had missed something. According to the article, he was due to retire in November anyway. So this actually does make sense as a firing under pretext, doesn’t it; it cuts the legs from under any tales that he might otherwise have told after leaving the service.
I wonder who has the power to fire a four star general, and what procedures are required.

Posted by: Jassalasca Jape | Aug 10 2005 13:07 utc | 18

Interesting that the nation of Germany had just awarded American General Byrnes its 2nd highest service award.
http://www4.army.mil/news/article.php?story=7539

Posted by: bcf | Aug 10 2005 13:38 utc | 19

Nevermind.

Posted by: beq | Aug 10 2005 13:41 utc | 20

“Saw this over at ASZ.
Apparently officers can’t spray paint cars either:
Posted by: Groucho
DENVER – Denver police say a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force has admitted to vandalizing cars bearing pro-President Bush bumper stickers at Denver International Airport.”
Hell, why didn’t he just come out and SAY he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to nuke Iran?

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 10 2005 16:10 utc | 21

Hey, it worked for Arnold:
NYT
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 9 – Armed men entered Baghdad’s municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city’s mayor and installed a member of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite militia.

Posted by: biklett | Aug 10 2005 16:47 utc | 22

madsen report aug. 10th

The sudden firing of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) Commander, four star General and New York City native Kevin P. Byrnes, one of only 11 four star generals in the Army, has much more to do with an anonymous Pentagon-reported case of his involvement in an alleged “extra-marital affair.” Although Byrnes has recently been involved in divorce proceedings, Pentagon insiders report that Byrnes was fired for insubordination. Byrnes’ firing fits a pattern of neocon demonizing of policy opponents by tossing out unsubstantiated charges from “anonymous source.”
…
Byrnes had previous run-ins with the neo-cons in the Pentagon. In 2002, Byrnes was faced with being retired at Lt. Gen. after he clashed with then-Rumsfeld aide Stephen Cambone over proposed troop strength cuts.
…
What has not been reported is that recently, one of Byrnes’ subordinate commands, Fort Rucker in Alabama, had been told to stand by for an influx of 50,000 military trainees — a level the base has not seen since the Vietnam War. Byrnes’ relief of command came on the heels of the Pentagon announcing that might permit Spanish-language entrance examinations. Byrnes, who was in charge of Army training, would not only face recruits with lower education levels, criminal records, but a lack of proficiency in English. Pentagon insiders report that it was Byrnes’ policy disagreements with the Pentagon neo-cons over the new recruitment policies and the potential for calling up Army retirees and reinstating military conscription without adequate TRADOC funding that resulted in his firing. The personal misconduct charges were concocted by the Pentagon to cover up the fact that there are serious disagreements with Bush and Rumsfeld among the flag officer ranks in the military.

Posted by: b real | Aug 10 2005 18:11 utc | 23

Thanks b real.
Yesterday they filled Feith’s position w/another neo-fascist. Have they announced Wolfie’s replacement?

Posted by: jj | Aug 10 2005 18:32 utc | 24

I did my semi-yearly thing at the VA DC Medical Center today with all us old fart Vietnam Veterans. Except, now there are these so young, world-wary, baby kids getting treatment.
I keep repeating that the US Army will collapse when the lifers take their 3rd and 4th tour of Iraq just like Vietnam. Lawrence Korb reiterates “if we wanted to keep about 140,000 ground troops in Iraq through 2006, we cannot do so without breaking the all-volunteer Army. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for President Lyndon Johnson, said that while we sent the Army to Vietnam to save Vietnam, we had to withdraw to save the Army. This is where we are today.”
Lt. Colonels spraying “Fuck Bush” and firing a 4 star general for a wayward dick are small signs of the implosion.

Posted by: Jim S | Aug 10 2005 20:52 utc | 25

b real – thanks for that comment. It smelled like shit to me, now it obviously is shit.

Posted by: b | Aug 10 2005 21:21 utc | 26

This fits, b real. Many thanks.

Posted by: Jape | Aug 10 2005 21:35 utc | 27

@ Jim S:
These people don’t give a shit about the army. They’ll break her bad before they admit they were wrong.

Posted by: Groucho | Aug 10 2005 22:27 utc | 28

August 10, 2005 — Moonie Alert! As a follow-up to the article below on U.S. troops arriving in Paraguay to protect Sun Myung Moon’s land holdings, there is this alarming report: Moon Unification Church official and Washington Times deputy managing editor Josette Sheeran Shiner has been nominated by President Bush to be U.S. Alternate Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the African Development Fund. Shiner has also been nominated to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Shiner, who has been Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, became a member of Moon’s cult in 1975 when she was recruited in college. Moon’s phenomenal wealth has been linked to Asian organized criminal gangs; gambling businesses in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao; and Asian prostitution rings. Now one of his followers will be involved with multi-billion dollar loans for projects and programs in the world’s developing nations. Nice move Mr. Bush!

Posted by: Gerald | Aug 11 2005 0:38 utc | 29

Not to go all Godwin but I guess I was not the only one thinking about the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair when I read this.

Posted by: A swedish kind of death | Aug 11 2005 10:03 utc | 30

It looks like b real came through with the goods.
I think the Cambone issue is probably extremely relevant bc I think this is directly related to Rummy’s “Military Transformation”. And I expect that Gen. Byrnes was not going along. Anyone who has not towed the line on transformation has been shown the door see Shinsheki.

Posted by: Bubb Rubb | Aug 11 2005 12:21 utc | 31

After a series of starts and stops, the U.S. Army, which is having recruitment problems in light of the war in Iraq, has reissued its request for proposals for its up to $1 billion ad contract — the government’s largest ever.

Posted by: beq | Aug 11 2005 13:52 utc | 32

As someone wrote in another thread,
What’s creepy [is] the sheer certainty that this parody would sound … like Gospel to boatloads of wingers, that they wouldn’t crack a gallows grin, but use it as an articulation of why to crack some heads wide open. And even the thought of someone maiming and killing another based on misunderstanding a parody – well, that’s zombie creepy.
Thinking about that comment, it strikes me that it will be hard to come up with recruiting ads that do not come across as parody to someone attuned with the, ah, times.

Posted by: Jape | Aug 11 2005 14:03 utc | 33

Army of One
no… no… smells like recruiting problems and Dien Bien Phu…
The Few, The Proud, The Brave
HELLO! same problem
How the Hell else do You expect to pay for College?
perhaps too, how shall I put this, too thought provoking
So, you wanna run for office as a Democrat…
…okay….more…
I know, tried and true:
Join the Marines, Travel the World, Meet Interesting People, and Kill Them
might work…

Posted by: citizen | Aug 11 2005 15:02 utc | 34

How the Hell else do You expect to pay for College?
I like that one best.

Posted by: Groucho | Aug 11 2005 15:08 utc | 35

Yes. Sadly, my nephew agrees.

Posted by: citizen | Aug 11 2005 15:14 utc | 36

A Swedish Kind of Death,
The Blomberg-Fritsch affair was the first thing I thought of too when I read this story. I first read it in William Shirer’s “The Nightmare Years”, and I remembered the story, but not the specific general’s name. I couldn’t help but wonder “Who’d he (Byrnes) piss off, Rumsfeld or Bush?”

Posted by: mmack | Aug 11 2005 17:07 utc | 37

Add this link to the excellent links from jj and b real.
Reporter suggests Brynes discovered plan to turn nuke exercise into staged terror attack
“This website has relentlessly discussed similar style drills which took place on the morning of 9/11 and on the morning of 7/7 in London.”
We can be darn sure, in any event, that the stated reason for his firing is not the real one.

Posted by: OkieByAccident | Aug 11 2005 18:07 utc | 38

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