Joe D. Dowdy

This article was to me a sob story about the misfortune of Marine Col. Joe Dowdy and his being stripped of his command, which is a super big deal to have happen. This is supposedly unprecedented to do if no direct orders are disobeyed or he’s not being a complete jerk. He accomplished his mission even. He didn’t do it as fast as the General Mattis would have liked. He met some additional resistance along the way and Dowdy supposedly took so long because he was busy shooting Iraqis back. Its really tough to gauge what really happened, but some think it was because Dowdy fell asleep while on command or because he went over his authority. But much like the WWII story of the guy who fed the concentration camp survivor, he let his conscience be his guide, only this time it cost the guy his job. The general seems to be flexing his might, and few will question his judgment. But the moral of the story is that sometimes doing what you think is the right thing will have negative personal consequences, especially when going in direct opposition to a popular and sensitive leader.

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