Aug 23, 2022·edited Aug 23, 2022Liked by Chris Bray
Had an ancestor who was reviled for being a wife-beating drunk. Everyone hated him, grew up hearing only about what an awful piece of shit he was. Later found out he was a cavalry NCO on the front in the Great War (hmm, wonder if that was related to the drinking?), and volunteered to fight in WWII (he didn't end up going; the officer in command recognized him and pulled him out of the ranks at the last minute, promoted him to warrant officer on the spot, and held him back to train the men).
Stories like the one you told here hit me in the feels. There's no respect for warrior culture in our feminized society and warriors are treated abhorrently. Homeless vets dying of drug ODs while migrants get free housing, education, and health care. Hysterical women destroying the careers of blooded line troops because they used the wrong pronoun or didn't want the Fauci Ouchie. Political appointees in generals' uniforms wrecking the lives of real officers because the latter called out the formers' mendacious incompetence. The shitshow of imperial collapse is a sight to behold.
I was shocked by the very first sentence. Dismayed at the next several paragraphs, and thankful to you- not for an apologetic of the man I called dad, but for unwinding the truths about the complexity of the father I knew.
Was he the perfect example for this article? No. He was the imperfect example that was perfect for this writing.
I am a product of Col Downard's final marriage- a tough, but happily successful one that he remained in until his death. To this day, I still have not met all my half-siblings.
And no apologies from me either. I do understand the path of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken families he left behind. But that is not the man I grew up with. Still Hard? Still Unrelenting? On the surface- absolutely. I grew up as his personal Private. And yes, he was a man that was truly haunted by his demons- prone to drink too much, set in his ways, and yes, to the very end, prone to hit the floor at the unexpected sound of a car backfiring as it passed on the street. He was, I know now, the textbook case of undiagnosed PTSD.
He spoke little of his military career. What I learned of his career, I learned from his men- both from WWII and Korea. And that's when I saw the hard man soften. Where I could see the "heart behind the hardness". Where I saw men like his company surgeon and others under his command, years later, talk with fondness, respect, and even reverence about his leadership- how they lost so many, but would have lost so many more without him at the lead. How they would follow him into hell again if asked. It was then that the flawed man I called Dad began to transition into my example of what a leader should be. My biggest regret still to this day is that I was too young to really appreciate it then... to comprehend it... and to thank him for who he tried to become. His lessons still resonate with me daily. I got to see both sides of the man and I thank "his soldiers" that reflected that brighter side of him.
As a follow-up to your article- after his medical retirement from the Army, he continued to fight for veterans. He joined the DAV and continually fought for the rights of those men and women- from WWII through Vietnam, helping them get their disability benefits from the government. He loved what he did. He was good at it. Why? Because he considered them all his soldiers and advocated for them relentlessly. To be sure, it took its toll. Their stories, their tribulations, brought back the darkness. He helped them because he "knew" them, he got them, he was them. In a way, he continued to lead "his men" until he retired- and it continued to shape the man, for better and worse.
He wasn't "bad stock" (although I understand where the sentiment originated). He was a product of his environment, and it had a significant impact on those that came in contact with him- for better on the front lines, and for worse on the home front. I pray that those with the same scars can relate, and can get the help that was not available to my dad.
I understand the intent of your article and appreciate your insights and how you applied his story to the "transition" that the military is going through. More than that, I appreciate your willingness to see, and tell the story of, the whole man.
Chris.....My name is Lanny West (birth name.... Boyd Anthony Downard). I am the son who wrote the book that you quote and reference in your article. While the quote you used is correct you left out the context which makes your readers feel that I had first hand knowledge of Donald. I did not. My father, who I never knew, was actually married 8 times. My mother was his 5th wife and had two sons; me and my brother David. As shared in my book I started drinking at age 13 and was an alcoholic by age 15. It was at that time in my life.... coming home blasted from a party, that my mother lashed out at me and told me I was just like my father... a drunk, an abuser and a womanizer...... I had quite the reputation even at that age. Until that point in my life I never knew anything about Donald E. Downard. I never had a reason to find out about him because my mother had married 2 other men that were exactly like she described my father. Why in the world would I want to reach out to find such a man. In writing my book I was forced to do the research necessary to at least find out a little of who he was. I was lead to the website called Find A Grave which pointed me to the book Dachau 29 April 1945... The Rainbow Lieberation Memoirs by Sam Dann. I won't bore your audience with the whole story but I was able to connect with one of my sisters by Donald's 3rd marriage. AND just a few days ago, because of your article here and mentioning my book one of his sons, Donald Downard, reached out to me through my publicist. We connected via phone just yesterday and it was a beautiful connection and time of discovery not to mention eye opening........ I would love to connect with you and find out how you came across my book as it is not and probably will never be a big seller. And quite frankly it was not written to be so. Your mention of my book has opened a much appreciated new chapter in my life with siblings I did not know existed. By the way..... all that you shared in your article I already knew through my research. Nothing shocking at all..... Yes... he was a very conflicted man but then who wouldn't be after seeing and experiencing the atrocities witnessed during times of conflict...... I have a very revised vision of my father through my conversation with his son and my brother Donald...... and that is the man I wish I had known. To close.... even without ever having known my father I have lived my life and and continue to live my life by a quote of his found in the page of the Dachau memoirs...... "I believe there is no limit to what a man can do if he doesn't care who gets the credit for it". I believe he lived his life that way. I hope you will be kind enough to reach out... my email addy is Lanny@TippingPT.coach
3) Our society cannot survive unless it includes young men (and, additionally but perhaps secondly, women) who can and want to fight. A place needs to be made for them, or they will carve one out. This has been the history of humanity.
My son just left the Marine Corps after five years of service and he was done after being forced to participate in anti-racism training in the desert in Kuwait. The Marine Corps has been intolerant to racism prior to this training but this training appeared to pit Marine against Marine. In his five years he advanced from recruit to sergeant and he always said his goal was to help young Marines find their particular skills to benefit the Marine Corps. He thought it was his duty to help them become the best Marines they could possibly be but after going through that training in the desert it was clear to him that was no longer the focus of the Marine Corps. He loved the Marine Corps and I also came to love the Corps because they helped to produce a youngman who just before he deployed overseas said to me that he "hoped to be a positive role model to the young Marines he was responsible for" when he said this to me I must admit that I laughed as he did because from the age of 13 to 18 he was hell on wheels and had no idea what to do with his life. My laughter changed to something else afterwards. He stayed in the Marines for an extra year so he could deploy overseas but he feels with the training they are initiating now he would be concerned about the people above him to look out for his interests and the damage to the esprit de corps of the Marines.
The armed services is not the place for social experiments it should remain as it always has been the last true meritocracy in America. Men, women, black, white, Latinos and whatever other races that should be left at the door and you are simply Americans. These are people who make life and death decisions in a split second based on what is confronting them not what is bothering them. Anyways, if I had a point I think I have lost it so I'll shut up.
Excellent portrait of a dilemma. Rough men are the front line and the bottom line in protecting civilization. Nobody condones domestic violence, and this man clearly had major demons to confront from combat, as well as quite possibly some neurological anomalies that made him fearless and prone to violence. The current stupidity of what’s being foisted on the military under the woke umbrella, the crappy leadership and stupid wastefulness of our military adventures for the last 30 years is endangering our national security and treasury. Reality always wins. We are going to pay a heavy price for this foolishness.
As a combat vet, I liked this piece. The quote from the Jack Nicholson movie, about the military lawyers, "you can't handle the truth," comes to mind, as well as my well-reasoned disgust of modern publishing 'houses' and their gatekeepers, and, of course, the woke half or quarter of our population. I've published four books in commercial houses but went 'indie' for the last eight when it became apparent that the boobs and soy boys who manned the gates 'could not handle the truth,' and would only allow through works by know-nothing fools that pushed the now-popular woke memes.
Well, the same globalist gang has been fucking with the military(ies) for our entire lifetime on path to the great reset / agenda whatever-they're-calling-it-this-week, so this somewhat nostalgic tone for past fucked up war-wars vs today's fucked up psych war is really all part of the same crazy-making abuse continuum, if you ask me.
The thing that I get when I read many of these responses, is that most people still don't (or can't) understand what combat does to those who survive it. LtCol Downard went through his own personal hell of unrelenting fear, seeing his men, civilians, and the enemy die, deprivation, sleeplessness, and the certainty that he was going to die too - for months, maybe years.
Surviving that and living with it are almost impossible without a lot of time and the support of family and fellow combatants. During LtCol Downard's time and before, self-anesthesia through heavy use of alcohol was the only thing available, so getting drunk every opportunity was common among them. Bad decisions soon followed.
Our culture was and still is, "put those bad memories behind you, and don't bother us with them", so most combat veterans kept silent and drank - sometimes to oblivion.
When we decide to go to war, we are condemning thousands of good young people to this fate after the country is done with them. It is the hidden cost of warfare.
ROE is literally a threat to our lives but it seems to have peaked and mitigated into sanity after much suffering (Rules of Engagement).
The Milley type groveler and Austin - Esper war profiteers are more of a threat than the latest mandatory training distractors
Oh and our Sergeant Majors all act like Milley, they’re done.
No one has respect for our Generals or trusts our Sergeant Majors (with exceptions).
The real demoralizing factor is faithless leadership and command by investigation, this led to moral cowardice and the ensuing physical cowardice. A buck passing contest gathering evidence at every level and passing blame down the ranks to avoid jail is the Italian Army command climate of 1940, or us the last 20 years. You have 2 armies- the warriors and the shirkers.
Guess who gets promoted?
Or even just retained?
Moar; Overthrowing the Constitution will tell when they need it, “By what authority “ is a very real question now.
I’m afraid you’re wrong about the combat experience however. Its there but the Army as an institution drives it out, its informal but combat experience is a threat to the non combat came up by schools not war leaders. It also doesn’t promote warriors for that reason.
For those of you who like TV the Perfumed Princes won.
I have a 20 year old daughter who is in the Space Force in California. The way she describes things the military is conflicted. It is struggling to go from the old system of duty/honor/country to what you mentioned: "where do I get my abortion. The military is still selecting squared away young people. My daughter will be a reservist working on satellite issues. Who knows, she may turn out to be a female warrior like the women who fly the Reapers out of Creech AFB in Nevada. They are laser-focused on the mission tracking bad guys in garden spots like Iraq, Iran, Somalia, etc., and sometimes they get to do the "kill shot". My daughter will be contemplating satellites that might interfere with U.S. missions and how to overcome them; to laser out the enemies hunter satellites or merely to change location of our assets. It's a new chess match with the game moving beyond our earthly limits. My girl the reserve satellite chaser! Her goal is more earthly. She will be studying nursing when she's not playing satellite chess. And when she gets her nursing license what to do? Well to become a flight nurse of course. She is a real giver. Most of the kids now enlisting are givers. And the woke crap that is a distraction now will be eradicated by the next administration. We must pray for that to happen for our country's good and the good of our selfless givers.
Interesting read Chris. I deployed to Iraq twice. Once in 04 and the other in 07 during the "surge." It was depressingly all too common to patrol the streets of Baghdad and see what the articles above described. I again served in Afghanistan during the "surge" of 2011. Not much better aesthetics there either. I have many friends or what we commonly call "battle" (short for battle buddy) from the early days of Iraq war still serving today. Most are in leadership positions and a few have pinned stars. Communication has essentially stopped since the advent of COVID and all things political. Their silence is deafening. I too worry for the future of our service and sincerely miss my battles.
I'm trying to start a conversation about it, but anyone who might be inclined to participate is just saying fuck it and submitting paperwork to separate whether through retirement, unqualified resignation, medical evaluation board, or simply not re-enlisting. Hyper-reality reigns and anyone who tries to point out the emperor has no clothes is sidelined. The extreme examples you mention in the article are just the things anyone can see, those of us that has our own slice of the pie have to deal with the fact that senior leaders, particularly above the installation level say and believe things that have no connection to the reality we see on the ground. If only I could retreat to the blissful ignorance of Gell-Mann amnesia. The incentives are aligned so powerfully against seeing the problem as it is, that anyone with career aspirations would have to be an idiot to let themselves appreciate the true, horrific scope of what we face.
Great read, but I always fall off anytime I read that combat PTSD, even the untreated kind, is the boogeyman behind all kinds of bad behavior. His truly honorable and courageous service aside, only proper douche bags beat their wives, partners, children and dogs. 6 marriages later, all is not forgiven.
Had an ancestor who was reviled for being a wife-beating drunk. Everyone hated him, grew up hearing only about what an awful piece of shit he was. Later found out he was a cavalry NCO on the front in the Great War (hmm, wonder if that was related to the drinking?), and volunteered to fight in WWII (he didn't end up going; the officer in command recognized him and pulled him out of the ranks at the last minute, promoted him to warrant officer on the spot, and held him back to train the men).
Stories like the one you told here hit me in the feels. There's no respect for warrior culture in our feminized society and warriors are treated abhorrently. Homeless vets dying of drug ODs while migrants get free housing, education, and health care. Hysterical women destroying the careers of blooded line troops because they used the wrong pronoun or didn't want the Fauci Ouchie. Political appointees in generals' uniforms wrecking the lives of real officers because the latter called out the formers' mendacious incompetence. The shitshow of imperial collapse is a sight to behold.
Mr. Bray-
Wow.
I was shocked by the very first sentence. Dismayed at the next several paragraphs, and thankful to you- not for an apologetic of the man I called dad, but for unwinding the truths about the complexity of the father I knew.
Was he the perfect example for this article? No. He was the imperfect example that was perfect for this writing.
I am a product of Col Downard's final marriage- a tough, but happily successful one that he remained in until his death. To this day, I still have not met all my half-siblings.
And no apologies from me either. I do understand the path of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken families he left behind. But that is not the man I grew up with. Still Hard? Still Unrelenting? On the surface- absolutely. I grew up as his personal Private. And yes, he was a man that was truly haunted by his demons- prone to drink too much, set in his ways, and yes, to the very end, prone to hit the floor at the unexpected sound of a car backfiring as it passed on the street. He was, I know now, the textbook case of undiagnosed PTSD.
He spoke little of his military career. What I learned of his career, I learned from his men- both from WWII and Korea. And that's when I saw the hard man soften. Where I could see the "heart behind the hardness". Where I saw men like his company surgeon and others under his command, years later, talk with fondness, respect, and even reverence about his leadership- how they lost so many, but would have lost so many more without him at the lead. How they would follow him into hell again if asked. It was then that the flawed man I called Dad began to transition into my example of what a leader should be. My biggest regret still to this day is that I was too young to really appreciate it then... to comprehend it... and to thank him for who he tried to become. His lessons still resonate with me daily. I got to see both sides of the man and I thank "his soldiers" that reflected that brighter side of him.
As a follow-up to your article- after his medical retirement from the Army, he continued to fight for veterans. He joined the DAV and continually fought for the rights of those men and women- from WWII through Vietnam, helping them get their disability benefits from the government. He loved what he did. He was good at it. Why? Because he considered them all his soldiers and advocated for them relentlessly. To be sure, it took its toll. Their stories, their tribulations, brought back the darkness. He helped them because he "knew" them, he got them, he was them. In a way, he continued to lead "his men" until he retired- and it continued to shape the man, for better and worse.
He wasn't "bad stock" (although I understand where the sentiment originated). He was a product of his environment, and it had a significant impact on those that came in contact with him- for better on the front lines, and for worse on the home front. I pray that those with the same scars can relate, and can get the help that was not available to my dad.
I understand the intent of your article and appreciate your insights and how you applied his story to the "transition" that the military is going through. More than that, I appreciate your willingness to see, and tell the story of, the whole man.
Thank you.
Chris.....My name is Lanny West (birth name.... Boyd Anthony Downard). I am the son who wrote the book that you quote and reference in your article. While the quote you used is correct you left out the context which makes your readers feel that I had first hand knowledge of Donald. I did not. My father, who I never knew, was actually married 8 times. My mother was his 5th wife and had two sons; me and my brother David. As shared in my book I started drinking at age 13 and was an alcoholic by age 15. It was at that time in my life.... coming home blasted from a party, that my mother lashed out at me and told me I was just like my father... a drunk, an abuser and a womanizer...... I had quite the reputation even at that age. Until that point in my life I never knew anything about Donald E. Downard. I never had a reason to find out about him because my mother had married 2 other men that were exactly like she described my father. Why in the world would I want to reach out to find such a man. In writing my book I was forced to do the research necessary to at least find out a little of who he was. I was lead to the website called Find A Grave which pointed me to the book Dachau 29 April 1945... The Rainbow Lieberation Memoirs by Sam Dann. I won't bore your audience with the whole story but I was able to connect with one of my sisters by Donald's 3rd marriage. AND just a few days ago, because of your article here and mentioning my book one of his sons, Donald Downard, reached out to me through my publicist. We connected via phone just yesterday and it was a beautiful connection and time of discovery not to mention eye opening........ I would love to connect with you and find out how you came across my book as it is not and probably will never be a big seller. And quite frankly it was not written to be so. Your mention of my book has opened a much appreciated new chapter in my life with siblings I did not know existed. By the way..... all that you shared in your article I already knew through my research. Nothing shocking at all..... Yes... he was a very conflicted man but then who wouldn't be after seeing and experiencing the atrocities witnessed during times of conflict...... I have a very revised vision of my father through my conversation with his son and my brother Donald...... and that is the man I wish I had known. To close.... even without ever having known my father I have lived my life and and continue to live my life by a quote of his found in the page of the Dachau memoirs...... "I believe there is no limit to what a man can do if he doesn't care who gets the credit for it". I believe he lived his life that way. I hope you will be kind enough to reach out... my email addy is Lanny@TippingPT.coach
As a military wife, I can't believe what I am seeing. The woke bunch are breaking the military.
1) Perhaps the breaking is the point.
2) In the book I'll probably never actually write that inspired a recent post (https://guttermouth.substack.com/p/im-sorry-youre-an-asshole-part-3), the second-most-important thing other than the one in the aforementioned post was, simply, "no one is one thing."
3) Our society cannot survive unless it includes young men (and, additionally but perhaps secondly, women) who can and want to fight. A place needs to be made for them, or they will carve one out. This has been the history of humanity.
My son just left the Marine Corps after five years of service and he was done after being forced to participate in anti-racism training in the desert in Kuwait. The Marine Corps has been intolerant to racism prior to this training but this training appeared to pit Marine against Marine. In his five years he advanced from recruit to sergeant and he always said his goal was to help young Marines find their particular skills to benefit the Marine Corps. He thought it was his duty to help them become the best Marines they could possibly be but after going through that training in the desert it was clear to him that was no longer the focus of the Marine Corps. He loved the Marine Corps and I also came to love the Corps because they helped to produce a youngman who just before he deployed overseas said to me that he "hoped to be a positive role model to the young Marines he was responsible for" when he said this to me I must admit that I laughed as he did because from the age of 13 to 18 he was hell on wheels and had no idea what to do with his life. My laughter changed to something else afterwards. He stayed in the Marines for an extra year so he could deploy overseas but he feels with the training they are initiating now he would be concerned about the people above him to look out for his interests and the damage to the esprit de corps of the Marines.
The armed services is not the place for social experiments it should remain as it always has been the last true meritocracy in America. Men, women, black, white, Latinos and whatever other races that should be left at the door and you are simply Americans. These are people who make life and death decisions in a split second based on what is confronting them not what is bothering them. Anyways, if I had a point I think I have lost it so I'll shut up.
Excellent portrait of a dilemma. Rough men are the front line and the bottom line in protecting civilization. Nobody condones domestic violence, and this man clearly had major demons to confront from combat, as well as quite possibly some neurological anomalies that made him fearless and prone to violence. The current stupidity of what’s being foisted on the military under the woke umbrella, the crappy leadership and stupid wastefulness of our military adventures for the last 30 years is endangering our national security and treasury. Reality always wins. We are going to pay a heavy price for this foolishness.
As a combat vet, I liked this piece. The quote from the Jack Nicholson movie, about the military lawyers, "you can't handle the truth," comes to mind, as well as my well-reasoned disgust of modern publishing 'houses' and their gatekeepers, and, of course, the woke half or quarter of our population. I've published four books in commercial houses but went 'indie' for the last eight when it became apparent that the boobs and soy boys who manned the gates 'could not handle the truth,' and would only allow through works by know-nothing fools that pushed the now-popular woke memes.
Well, the same globalist gang has been fucking with the military(ies) for our entire lifetime on path to the great reset / agenda whatever-they're-calling-it-this-week, so this somewhat nostalgic tone for past fucked up war-wars vs today's fucked up psych war is really all part of the same crazy-making abuse continuum, if you ask me.
The thing that I get when I read many of these responses, is that most people still don't (or can't) understand what combat does to those who survive it. LtCol Downard went through his own personal hell of unrelenting fear, seeing his men, civilians, and the enemy die, deprivation, sleeplessness, and the certainty that he was going to die too - for months, maybe years.
Surviving that and living with it are almost impossible without a lot of time and the support of family and fellow combatants. During LtCol Downard's time and before, self-anesthesia through heavy use of alcohol was the only thing available, so getting drunk every opportunity was common among them. Bad decisions soon followed.
Our culture was and still is, "put those bad memories behind you, and don't bother us with them", so most combat veterans kept silent and drank - sometimes to oblivion.
When we decide to go to war, we are condemning thousands of good young people to this fate after the country is done with them. It is the hidden cost of warfare.
God Bless and forgive LtCol Downard.
Its supposed to break the military.
Which doesn’t mean it will
ROE is literally a threat to our lives but it seems to have peaked and mitigated into sanity after much suffering (Rules of Engagement).
The Milley type groveler and Austin - Esper war profiteers are more of a threat than the latest mandatory training distractors
Oh and our Sergeant Majors all act like Milley, they’re done.
No one has respect for our Generals or trusts our Sergeant Majors (with exceptions).
The real demoralizing factor is faithless leadership and command by investigation, this led to moral cowardice and the ensuing physical cowardice. A buck passing contest gathering evidence at every level and passing blame down the ranks to avoid jail is the Italian Army command climate of 1940, or us the last 20 years. You have 2 armies- the warriors and the shirkers.
Guess who gets promoted?
Or even just retained?
Moar; Overthrowing the Constitution will tell when they need it, “By what authority “ is a very real question now.
I’m afraid you’re wrong about the combat experience however. Its there but the Army as an institution drives it out, its informal but combat experience is a threat to the non combat came up by schools not war leaders. It also doesn’t promote warriors for that reason.
For those of you who like TV the Perfumed Princes won.
Well Princex.
Amen Brother.
I have a 20 year old daughter who is in the Space Force in California. The way she describes things the military is conflicted. It is struggling to go from the old system of duty/honor/country to what you mentioned: "where do I get my abortion. The military is still selecting squared away young people. My daughter will be a reservist working on satellite issues. Who knows, she may turn out to be a female warrior like the women who fly the Reapers out of Creech AFB in Nevada. They are laser-focused on the mission tracking bad guys in garden spots like Iraq, Iran, Somalia, etc., and sometimes they get to do the "kill shot". My daughter will be contemplating satellites that might interfere with U.S. missions and how to overcome them; to laser out the enemies hunter satellites or merely to change location of our assets. It's a new chess match with the game moving beyond our earthly limits. My girl the reserve satellite chaser! Her goal is more earthly. She will be studying nursing when she's not playing satellite chess. And when she gets her nursing license what to do? Well to become a flight nurse of course. She is a real giver. Most of the kids now enlisting are givers. And the woke crap that is a distraction now will be eradicated by the next administration. We must pray for that to happen for our country's good and the good of our selfless givers.
Interesting read Chris. I deployed to Iraq twice. Once in 04 and the other in 07 during the "surge." It was depressingly all too common to patrol the streets of Baghdad and see what the articles above described. I again served in Afghanistan during the "surge" of 2011. Not much better aesthetics there either. I have many friends or what we commonly call "battle" (short for battle buddy) from the early days of Iraq war still serving today. Most are in leadership positions and a few have pinned stars. Communication has essentially stopped since the advent of COVID and all things political. Their silence is deafening. I too worry for the future of our service and sincerely miss my battles.
I'm trying to start a conversation about it, but anyone who might be inclined to participate is just saying fuck it and submitting paperwork to separate whether through retirement, unqualified resignation, medical evaluation board, or simply not re-enlisting. Hyper-reality reigns and anyone who tries to point out the emperor has no clothes is sidelined. The extreme examples you mention in the article are just the things anyone can see, those of us that has our own slice of the pie have to deal with the fact that senior leaders, particularly above the installation level say and believe things that have no connection to the reality we see on the ground. If only I could retreat to the blissful ignorance of Gell-Mann amnesia. The incentives are aligned so powerfully against seeing the problem as it is, that anyone with career aspirations would have to be an idiot to let themselves appreciate the true, horrific scope of what we face.
Great read, but I always fall off anytime I read that combat PTSD, even the untreated kind, is the boogeyman behind all kinds of bad behavior. His truly honorable and courageous service aside, only proper douche bags beat their wives, partners, children and dogs. 6 marriages later, all is not forgiven.