It's hard to overstate the reputation LtCol Mainz had in the Marine Corps.
First off, he slept about 3 hours a night. No exaggeration, personally witnessed it. He was manic in his study and dedication to the Marine Corps and all things military arts. He was always running circles around his peers, if through nothing other than sheer grit and energy he put into all of his work, even skull numbing staff work. A consummate warrior monk.
Mainz had been recognized for his acumen early on, and had been selected for assignments that ensured he would be groomed for advancement on to the next level. Many of these were extremely competitive billets, and with many being hand selected; because there are not many openings, the Marine Corps wants to invest wisely in the next generation of leaders.
He was routinely approached by Marine Generals for his opinion on matters of policy. In fact, he actually re-wrote at least one important manual the Marine Corps uses today.
Getting selected for battalion command at all is extremely difficult as an infantry officer in the Marines. But furthermore, the particular battalion he was selected for is particularly high profile. I stress all this to again emphasize how respected he was. I would also stress, that LtCol Mainz was not an especially vulgar or foul mouthed officer. He was down to earth for sure, but went out of his way to stay professional and diplomatic. Everybody that met him, whether they liked him or not, felt that he was destined to be a General as soon as possible.
Digging deeper, normally a Battalion Commander is relieved by the next level up the chain of command, which would have been a Colonel (the bald headed fellow in that picture in the desert). He was not fired by him, but rather a General that is one level up. I interpret that as the order to fire him must have come from very high up.
Essentially the Marine Corps is now taking no chances when it comes to PC culture. I think this decision to fire him was made to unequivocally show there is truly a "zero tolerance" policy regarding this, in whatever pathetic form it takes. Mainz's mistake was not recognizing this, and he focused on the mission and unit readiness, instead of PC feelz. We can, and to a limited extend should, lament this, but ultimately this is fact, and those in the US military should understand these are the values that now guide.
First off, he slept about 3 hours a night. No exaggeration, personally witnessed it. He was manic in his study and dedication to the Marine Corps and all things military arts. He was always running circles around his peers, if through nothing other than sheer grit and energy he put into all of his work, even skull numbing staff work. A consummate warrior monk.
Mainz had been recognized for his acumen early on, and had been selected for assignments that ensured he would be groomed for advancement on to the next level. Many of these were extremely competitive billets, and with many being hand selected; because there are not many openings, the Marine Corps wants to invest wisely in the next generation of leaders.
He was routinely approached by Marine Generals for his opinion on matters of policy. In fact, he actually re-wrote at least one important manual the Marine Corps uses today.
Getting selected for battalion command at all is extremely difficult as an infantry officer in the Marines. But furthermore, the particular battalion he was selected for is particularly high profile. I stress all this to again emphasize how respected he was. I would also stress, that LtCol Mainz was not an especially vulgar or foul mouthed officer. He was down to earth for sure, but went out of his way to stay professional and diplomatic. Everybody that met him, whether they liked him or not, felt that he was destined to be a General as soon as possible.
Digging deeper, normally a Battalion Commander is relieved by the next level up the chain of command, which would have been a Colonel (the bald headed fellow in that picture in the desert). He was not fired by him, but rather a General that is one level up. I interpret that as the order to fire him must have come from very high up.
Essentially the Marine Corps is now taking no chances when it comes to PC culture. I think this decision to fire him was made to unequivocally show there is truly a "zero tolerance" policy regarding this, in whatever pathetic form it takes. Mainz's mistake was not recognizing this, and he focused on the mission and unit readiness, instead of PC feelz. We can, and to a limited extend should, lament this, but ultimately this is fact, and those in the US military should understand these are the values that now guide.