Maybe he foolishly gave the lying NYTimes an interview.

It's rare that a Regimental CO gets relieved and even rarer during actual combat. My guess is that he was having stress related issue due to combat which is totally possible.

Maybe he was getting a little "friendly" with the ladies. (sarcasm)

He must have really messed up......or perhaps too much mental anguish.

Silly commander... Sheep and goats are for the locals.

Sexy! Whiskey! Vodka! Beer! and Democracy!

Some pretty tasteless comments above, uttered from the safety of not being on the front lines. Shame.

Maybe he just got physically sick - severe dehydration, heart condition or some other thing.

I know the individual in question; he is a person of the highest caliber and truly one of the best leaders with whom I have served. War is a chaotic business, no less so for those who lead as those who do the fighting.

I echo DSmiths comments.

The least bad likely scenario is that teh commander had a mental breakdown in reaction to the stress of leading men into combat. Other possibilities are even uglier. Not a laughing matter.

- DSmith

I could not agree more. These guys are doing a bang-up job out there, with their asses CONSTANTLY on the line. They deserve our praise, respect, and, at least, the benefit of our doubt.

Sometimes a CO can get relieved when someone under him really messes up. You can get the axe just because something
"Happened on your watch..."

Unthinking and cruel speculation is part of the culture of the web.

War can wound in many ways. Here's hoping that the officer in question gets whatever care and compassion he needs.

There is a close hold Army IG report on the number of senior grade officers relieved of duty just during Desert Shield. This current situation is probably not isolated. It's just we don't usually get the info. Now here is a real question that the journalist should be asking, how many officers have been relieved since this deployment started?

I strongly second the sentiments in these posts that we should NOT libel this commander. From the safety and ignorance of our keyboards we cannot even begin to imagine the circumstances surrounding battlefield conditions. I suggest care be taken so as to not libel this private individual.

My hat is off to the Colonel for leading our troops so effectivly. Whatever the reason for his removal, be it stress or a subordinate doesn't take away from the great job that he's done.

He like the rest of our troops over there are true heros.

Its all speculations up to this point..

There are so many possibilities, some dealing with his performance, medical conditions, or even crisis at home...

Its all speculations up to this point...

A little humor won't kill anyone... Sure I'm confortable over here, but that has nothing to do with the comments..

I have no idea why he would get replaced... I'm just hoping that it is something minor then major.

The US troops are doing an excellent job, and their professionalism is impressive!

On the other hand, could this be the unnamed Colonel in Iraq sited in the NYT's piece?

Oops, that's what Jackson said.

...Now here is a real question that the journalist should be asking, how many officers have been relieved since this deployment started?...

It's NONE OF OUR BUSINESS at this point in time, so any "journalist" who might ask this question now should be ignored by the time-honored ritual of "Next question, please".

Here's the colonel's page. It's still up as I write, but I doubt the Marine Corps will leave it up for long. I hope he's all right; the regiment is obviously fine.

www.cpp.usmc.mil/1mardiv/1MarReg/co.htm

War is chaotic, except for some of the thoughtless morons who post facile comments here.

From his bio, and from the absence of any combat decorations, I would guess that this is the first time he has been under fire. He has prepared for this moment for 25 years, his whole life. The story saddens me.

War... particularly mobile field combat is a young man's game. An 06 is typically older than about 42. I'm a little older than that, experienced, and in top condition, but I look at the videos and wonder how I would have held up.

Let's see, probably less than eight hours sleep over the last three days, signifcant combat in chem/bio suit in 100-degree heat in a country where you have very little confidence you can tell friend from foe.

Isn't the real point here that it is astounding what has been accomplished under these circumstances and that this sort of incident doesn't appear to be a common occurrence?

A desk jockey who lost it...wouldn't be the first time.

Personally, I consider uninformed speculation just as bad as the media's worst. The officer's honor and courage are beyond question so let's give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Rather uncool of whoever it was to give out his name, given that they're not listing the circumstances. A bit tacky, in my view.

While the colonel does not have a combat action ribbon, that does not translate to "desk jockey." He has commanded at every level, including an infantry battalion, and regiment-level command is for those colonels most likely slated for a star. His battalion, 1st Bn, 1st Mar, had a very successful MEU (SOC) deployment with significant operational experience. He is a good man.

Regimental command in the USMC is a VERY big deal.

A regiment is the smallestU.S. combat unit with independent manuvering authority. Therefore a lot of thought and evaluation goes into selecting commanders.

"relieved" is a horrible word in any combat scenario. Lets give the Colonel a full and deserved benefit of the doubt.

I knew this guy when he was a young 2ndLT in his first infantry platoon when I was a PltSgt G 2/8. One of America's finest then and now. Piss poor judgment posting his name for mass speculation. Leave the man alone and count your blessings you aint in his shoes.

Greetings:

Has there been any independent confirmation of this? So far all I've seen are stories that parrot the Sky News note, nothing beyond that.

Tried the website mentioned, and get a message "The System Is Not Working. Try Again." Trying again...still not working...etc.

My guess is Rumsfeld and the suits are purging the front line officers who have been caught complaining.

Hey, everybody hush until we get confirmation. What is this...a friggin' game?

I just wanted to follow up with a few things. Many of the guys in 1st marines had just been home liess then 30 days before re-deploying to Iraq. If the regimental CO was complaining openly it might have to do with that, but I doubt it.

I still feel this is some kind of medical issue instead of a fitness issue. I'd like to see more info on this.

Orders of Battle (http://www.orbat.com) reports that the CO was "relieved for not proceeding as fast as ordered."