Marines’ shortlist Brig Gen for promotion who was reprimanded for using his aide as a servant

| August 2, 2020

Brigadier General Uribe, USMC

Rick Uribe, a USMC Brigadier General, has had his name come up for promotion to Major General. Back in 2018, he was under investigation for using his aide (a company-grade officer in this case) for personal errands, but limited his alleged abuse of his authority to the Iraqi Theater during 2016-17. His aide “only did personal matters for the general while in Iraq.”

The most egregious, and substiated, charges found by the IG were that he made his aide drop off and pick up his laundry, reserve gym equipment for him (making her stand there upwards of 40 minutes), and took “small convenience loans” from her. Can you imagine being a general and asking your aide-de-camp (a lieutenant) for money?

The general was reprimanded following the IG’s investigation in 2018. He’s now on the list of one-stars being considered for a second star. He was previously considered for promotion to Major General and is once again up for a promotional board at Quantico in September.

Judging by his awards and decorations, he’s had an impressive career.

Article; Task and Purpose

If this sounds familiar, Jonn posted about the accusations back in ’18. It’s also very similar to complaints lodged against MCPON Giordano during the same timeframe. He retired a few days after the story broke and only halfway through his assignment as MCPON.

Category: GWOT, Iraq, Marine Corps, Marines

16 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
ninja

He is in the Senior Above The Zone:

https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/2293518/convening-of-the-fy22-us-marine-corps-major-general-and-brigadier-general-promo/

“The Above-Zone consists of officers who have been previously considered for promotion from within the Primary Zone.”

IMHO, he most likely will not be selected.

You Reap What You Sow.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Amen…

Here’s the kicker… at the link to Jonn’s original article, Uribe was once the Marine Corps IG. Must think he’s one of those “special” types we’ve heard about in the past.

Just An Old Dog

Yes “Over” Zone is a last resort… USMC they usually have about 125% of the people they need top fill the billets in the Promotion Zone. The Under Zone is just a SWAG on what the Promotion Zone will be next year and the over zone are those who have been passed over ONCE. If you don’t make it the second time you are out on your EAS or put in retirement papers.

OldManchu

Did she also have to give him a spot after standing there 40 minutes?

26Limabeans

He already has that look of disappointment in the photo.
Fruit salad not withstanding of course.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

This could turn out to be a General disaster for him if he doesn’t get the second star.

Ex-PH2

…and took “small convenience loans” from her.

Okay, that right there is enough to piss me off.

This jerk makes her run errands that an E-2 should be handling, which is bad enough. But he also borrows money from her when his annual pay is at least 6 times hers? He can’t keep a card or cash money in his own pockets?

What an asshole!!!

A Proud Infidel®™

I second that thought and IMHO he needs to be passed over!

Just An Old Dog

There aren’t a lot of E-2’s hanging around Brigadier Generals. The guy probably can go for weeks without seeing anyone below the rank of Master Sergeant in his work Space.
Certain staff billets you have Captains Making Coffee and doing donut runs

Jay in Cville

Wonder how he escaped punishment for his past. I agree with the other comments about taking personal loans from a junior officer. He should be shown the door immediately.

5th/77th FA

I did some dog robbing back yonder, for several different ossifers. Most of them were professionals that looked after their Troops. Except for this one Major. The 08 was prolly the nicest, most laid back. Until he got to eating a new anal opening on a…wait for it…Major.

All the good that the BG did was negated by him being a d*ck. Don’t think his “I Love Me Wall” shadow box will have MG Stars displayed along with his other fruit salad. He mighta could of gotten away with some of it 40/50 years ago with a male butter bar. Now-a-days? With a Female? Dumbass for even trying and she screwed up by not taking him down a notch or 6.

Hondo

As ninja observed above, he’s being considered Above the Zone. That means his chances of being selected are very low – as in “roughly zero”.

FWIW: while he was wearing one star while in Iraq, he was frocked at the time. Per the DoD IG report on the guy (p. 8), he wasn’t actually officially promoted to Brigadier General until 2 June 2017; he returned to CONUS on 10 June 2017.

https://media.defense.gov/2018/Jul/10/2001940716/-1/-1/1/DODIG-2018-131%20UPDATED%202.PDF

He thus didn’t have 3 years TIG as an O7 until June 2020. If memory serves, all officers O5 and above require three years successful service in grade to retire at that grade.

My guess is he is again passed over and shortly afterwards puts in his retirement packet. Unless he’s stepped on himself again since returning from Iraq, he’s now got the requisite 3 years successful TIG to retire as a Brigadier General. And even if he doesn’t submit his retirement paperwork, statutory limits on the total number of years commissioned service an O7 can serve will kick in at some point.

Barring further post-return misconduct, I also kinda doubt any grade determination board will find him unqualified for retirement as an O7. All of the misconduct referenced in the DoD IG report apparently occurred while he was still technically an O6, not an O7. If he’s been “clean” since then, he’ll technically have the requisite 3 years successful service in grade.

Bottom line: IMO he’s been “playing for time” (to get “3 good years” TIG) ever since the DoD IG report substantiating his misconduct as a frocked Brigadier General came out. He has to know that report reduced his chances of ever getting a second star to essentially zero.

Slow Joe

He is Hispanic, so he will probably get away with it.

Because, you know, minority people cannot be held to the same standards. Or something.

rgr769

So what’s new about a general using an aide as a servant. I don’t know about the Marine Corps, but apparently in the Army using general’s aides as servants was not uncommon. I interviewed for a one star’s aide job in the FRG; I was informed by his chief of staff that my aide job would include escorting his wife on shopping forays and keeping track of how many drinks everyone had at his cocktail parties. I turned the job down because I didn’t spend five years becoming an infantry officer to be a general’s servant at a corps HQ. Plus, I likely would have missed my fifteen month tour in the RVN.

rgr769

Oh, just remembered I was also told I would be expected to sometimes pick up the general’s dry cleaning when his driver wasn’t available to do it.

11B-Mailclerk

Borrowing from subordinates…

Once upon a time, our very high-speed 1LT S-1 was attempting to borrow six hundred and odd dollars from us to bail out the wife of one of the E-4s in our shop. This was after he was told that borrowing from EMs would likely end his career. He was embarrassed that he had all of $20 bucks, and wasn’t going to let her sit in jail over dumb-ass’s smooth move. (Neither of the couple were very bright, but they were hard working and honest) There were kids at home with the sitter, and a deadline for her to leave, etc.

I had the money, so I made it clear -I- was aiding the dummy who sent his wife as a stand-up, only to get her ass jailed for contempt, and Sir don’t you have a bunch of awards to sign? Shoo.

“LT borrowing money sir? Nah. He was in his office signing papers.”

We got her sprung, after a saga of hitting three ATMs and then discovering they wanted exact change down to the penny, in cash, well after hours.

Specialist dipstick paid in full on payday. (And I think half the officers and NCOs in the company pinged me about getting paid back, for the two weeks to payday and most of a month after. This included the 1SG, in formation, the day after payday. “Did you get paid back (Mailclerk)? All of it?”

I was kinda puzzled at all the fuss at the time.