Brigadier General Norman Cooling suspended
According to Military.com, Brigadier General Norman Cooling, who was until recently legislative assistant to Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller, has been suspended from those duties for creating a “hostile work environment”.
Brig. Gen. Norman L. Cooling was removed after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis received a request from Congress to investigate his behavior, according to a news release. The Senate Armed Services Committee asked Mattis directly to review the command climate Cooling had created during his tenure at the post, officials said.
The office of the secretary of defense is now investigating the allegations.
A Marine Corps spokesman, Maj. Brian Block, said the length of the investigation would be determined by OSD; there’s no defined time limit to Cooling’s suspension.
Category: Marine Corps
This isn’t surprising.
What’s the gouge, Mick?
Absolutely!!
Cooling his heels…
They should retire every General Officer who cannot bench press 225 pounds. It would balance the Federal budget.
Why, they make more money retired.
Damn, got on St. Mattis’ radar. I smell retirement after a letter of reprimand.
That’s what’s always bothered me about the three tier system of the UCMJ. Officers have their own level which just stop their career. Senior enlisted have the same thing. The junior enlisted E6 on down get hung out to dry for the same shit. Bitch session has ended
True, but you have to factor in the accountability aspect. If you’re a SNCO or an officer, you also get punished if one of your guys fucks up, even in situations where you realistically couldn’t have prevented it. No amount of SHARP training or weekend briefing is going to keep a scumbag from molesting someone or driving under the influence if he really wants to. And you can go on about what not to do until your face is blue, but at the end of the day your career is still over.
Conversely, punishments can also be less harsh at lower grades. Case in point, in basic training we had a guy have a ND (with a blank) while waiting around for his turn on a test, because he didn’t clear his rifle (AND didn’t keep it on safe OR keep his finger off the trigger, but you get the idea). He was busted down a grade and got two weeks of extra duty. I’m pretty sure the same action would spell the end of a career for anyone higher than E-4.
Right those cases I understand, I get those joe will be a joe. I’m talking about DUI, affairs that sort of thing. Affairs just stop a career and force retire CO and SNCO. I, ME, AND MYSELF haven’t seen any CO or SNCO serve time, get down graded or get a dishonorable. If the Officer corp wants to keep it quite to save face then they are sending the wrong message to jr enlisted and JNCO. If I am wrong so be it. In MY PERSONAL opinion it needs to be shown to the what ever level that officer works at (blotter report) to show that yes the UCMJ was applied and justice carried out.
I always saw the unit and battalion blotter report posted on the company training board. It only had Jr enlisted. Never had NCO or Officer UCMJ actions. All I saw was promoted out of the company to become someone else’s problem. Both active and reserve.
No Marine SNCO is described as a junior enlisted. Neither are Corporals and Sergeants the NCO ranks. I also don’t understand this three tier comment. The UCMJ is Part of US Code, Contains the Punitive Articles MCM: Maunual for courts martial- not just a guide, full force and effect of law, binding to all UCMJ subjects. There are three levels of Courts Martial Summary, Special and General but the UCMJ is the UCMJ. The article you violate determines the type punishment and has nothing to do with your rank.
Not knowing whether or not it was some snowflake who objects to being a Marine, or a Brigadier General who has gone brigand, I reserve judgment.
GB, I’d agree totally, if it hadn’t been Gen Mattis who looked into it… If his name is attached, I’m going with “guy is a shitbag” for an answer… I just don’t see Mattis playing games
Having overlooked that factoid earlier (“I plead insufficient coffee and post lunch coma, y’honor.”) I will agree with you.
With Gen. Mattis after him, and these results, Brig. Gen. Norman L. Cooling is most likely in need of a major throat-punch.
Mad Dog may tell Cooling to off himself with a cheese cake knife.
Or, Mattis can just un-born him and make Cooling an unperson, erased from history.
General Cooling is anything but a shitbag! I served under him when he was a Captain at 2nd LAR BN and he was even on the fast track to becoming Commandant back then. I don’t know what went on at this command but it’s probably some panzy ass P.C. bullshit!
There are still a lot of questions. Are we talking about a single member of Congress doing a get back deal by whining to SECDEF or has the SASC already done some investigating and referred the complaint to SECDEF? Could be anything. Or nothing.
Only thing I can say with any surety is that it is more likely to be appropriately dealt with now than it would have been a few years ago. Whatever it was.
He wasn’t removed for turning a blind eye to a hostile work environment but for creating one. Please submit your applications for his position to…
Correct me if I’m wrong, but, does anyone *else* here want to tie these fuckers (General “Makes me want to Hurl” & General Coolbeans here) to a pole and bitch slap the smarmy look off their faces until they cry like little girls?
Huh?
Is it just me?
Or maybe a throat punch and a well practiced NFL type punt in the ole beanbag?
You probably don’t need to tie them to a pole. Just run them through a gauntlet. Nothing against poles but if the pukes wanna play, let’s git’r’dun.
I predict booze, women and or zippers had something to do with this one!
32 years in and only a 1 star? And was a scholar Naval Academy Graduate?
Brigadier Mafia
Do not disrespect The Mafia.
We did not appoint him.
-Command Specialist Major of The Army
When the SASC asks the SecDef directly to investigate an individual, things have gone far, far off the rails.
That’s my take as well. When its gotten to that level, its not some snowflake is crying because he had do to pushups for doing dumbshit.
Its not a case of an aggresive and loud commander who’s abrasive but gets results.
Its a case of an asshole being an asshole and not contributing anything other than assholery.
You have no idea what you are talking about! Comment when the investigation is over!
What’s your last name, is it Lewinsky?
Or finally being recognized for being an asshole. Agree having SASC making such a request, you’re in Delta Sierra.
Amen.
Do you think that, when Brig. Gen. Norman L. Cooling found out that Mattis was asking questions, his response was something like “Oh, shiiite! I’m toast.”?
Hehe. Nah! Besides, if Mattis was out to deal with him, he’d probably delegate the opportunity to someone who could benefit from the experience of serving up some hubris.
I don’t think so! He is an incredible person and has dedicated his entire life to our country! I feel confident that his name will be resolved!
Good! Doncha hate it when a name is in dispute?
I see that a sock puppet has infiltrated our ranks.
I wonder if the reason so many of our sockpuppets have female names is that before they were sockpuppets, the socks were used a field-expedient condoms?
Is that normal for someone to complain to the Sec of Def and he steps in like that? I would have thought The Marine Corp would handle such a thing itself but is the fact the Commandant is involved the reason Mattis stepped in?
I didn’t know the Sec Of Defense had that power, I thought The President was the one that removed people like that being the ultimate authority.
The Patron Saint Of Chaos does not need permission to knife hand anyone.
He is, therefore, he does.
I was working with a guy who just got out of the Marines. He was a e-4 in the Marine. One day a e-7 Gunny went up to him and said “I’m sick of you Puerto Ricans in my Marine Corps”! The e-4 told him “I may not be as high ranking as you but you will respect me”. The e-7 kept making racist comments and then the e-4 punched him in the face. The e-7 tried to have the e-4 court martialed, but multiple other Marines witnessed the incident. The e-7 got court martialed and was busted down to e-5. What a happy ending!
And then you woke up and realized you were late for school…
The more you write, the more we collect and analyze. Referring to mil pers by using pay grade is very interesting. Plus the story of a junior enlisted PR Marine punching out a senior enlisted Marine sounds strange as well, considering the relative high numbers of PR who have and continue to serve in the mil and USMC.
Not sure what your point is here.
Just another U of C grad trying to enlighten us on the virtues of SJW, Master Blaster…
Master Blaster ruled Bartertown.
Tina Turner ruled Bartertown.
TWO MEN ENTER! ONE MAN LEAVE!
That sounds like a fish story to me.
I have a good friend who does handyman work outside his full-time job. When I was talking to him last month about replacing my front steps this spring, he said his two sons are in the military, one in the Army and the other in the Marine Corps. He is a Puerto Ricano, and proud of his two grown sons, too.
I knew many PRs in various ratings when I was in the Navy. This fish story not only doesn’t hold water, it badly stinks right from the head.
I miss the open and honest hostility of Marine Corps Leadership. Working for the Army on Bragg the air is laden with estrogen though nary a female is in sight.
Oh, for Pete’s sake, go to a strip joint and get it out of your system, willya?
I miss the days when men were men and women were glad of it. I hope they return before I kick the bucket.
What exactly is it you think I am saying? lol
…not that I dislike your suggestion, but I’m not the one that needs to adjust my hormonal axis.
I’ve heard that they closed The Brown Bagger, but I’m pretty sure that The Driftwood and Tobies are still open.
Ahhhh; the memories.
I got tattooed at the old Driftwood back when D.C. Paul still had his shop in the same building. Tony’s Brown Bagger went downhill after they closed Susie’s kitchen, but a few of us still went there based on ceremony a few times a year.
it’s been many years
It’s the soy boys with their soy faces, some weird grimace that looks like their heads are exploding, that creates the irritant you’re referring to.
Phytoestrogens are everywhere now. Don’t let it rub off on you or give you nightmares.
It affects our troops and how they are trained….can’t turn my back on that.
I know him and he is a good man. He was a platoon commander at 2d Bn 4th Marines when I was there. Nothing but respect for him.
This is a long time coming. Hostile work environment is putting it mildly. I have a feeling if they dig hard enough lots of other issues will be found.
Agreed. I can think of a few myself
I served under him for a number of years and witnessed far too much that went on behind the curtain. “Hostile” would be an understatement. I could never figure out if he was being micromanage/authoritarian because he cared his Marines, or he wanted the next promotion.
A CO with unrealistic expectations from everyone. I did however learn a lot from him. So there’s a lot of mixed feelings here
I worked with him in AG and Balkans. He’s intense. He’s also damn good at Command and got deployed Marines the gear they needed instead of wore out Army leftovers the USMC was issuing at the time. Presume r.e.d. agrees a number of Marines are alive–and our enemies dead–because he doesn’t compromise.
That said, even if the complaint is total BS, Capital Hill won’t forgive/forget so he’ll never see a 2nd Star. That’s a shame for I think he’d be a very good Division CG while Legislative Affairs isn’t a good fit for someone so intense or inclined to say what he’s actually thinking.
My gut tells me it’s akin to when John Merna at 31st MEU told some guy at a hail & fair well to quit acting so gay, only to later learn the guy actually was gay when Mr. Light in the Loafers filed a hostile command climate complaint against him.
Gen Cooling is a tremendous officer, infantryman, and leader. I do not doubt that after staff has been sitting pretty, sliming their way through their admin/twilight tours in DC, a leader like Cooling WOULD create an uncomfortable work environment, but that is because he will hold SNCOs and 04-05s ACCOUNTABLE for failure to perform.
It makes me absolutely sick that anyone would question this man’s leadership ability, judgment or integrity.
He’s likely in something of a hard spot because he’s a lot smarter than Neller and Neller knows how to keep things looking “controlled.”
Fingers crossed Mattis sees through this BS.
Awesome commander! I served with him as his chaplain in Afghanistan!