Colonel Fowler + Stars
Don't get what's happening when Col Fowler opens the box with 2 stars. Are these his? Is he being promoted to a BG or is Lt Gen Campbell being promoted to full General. And why show this anyway??
cheers
The two stars belong to Col Fowler. He is debating if he should lie to protect Lt Gen Campbell. That would be the end of his military carrer. Lt Gen Campbell explains this when he says," Col Fowler is a good soldier and would lie even if it meat his carrer." It kind of forshadows Col Fowler lying a few times when Paul Brenner is questioning Lt Gen Campbell. Hope this helps.
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"Although since Campbell, a senior General, was leaving the Army, it still meant others would have gotten a step up in the chain of command anyway."
Just because your next senior in command leaves the service doesn't mean you get promoted. You get promoted based on time in rank, time in service, and character of service, not because you're in the right place at the right time.
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I have a perspective on this. At the time of the rape at the point General Campbell had 2 stars. It was implied in the end that Campbell got his third star as a result of keeping his daughter quiet....putting his career ahead of his daughter's well-being. Fowler could have been lamenting about simpler times prior to the Point. Ultimately, Fowler seemed to have no aspirations about becoming a General; he was endebted to Campbell, who may have saved his life in 'Nam, and had always put Campbell ahead of himself.
shareThat's the only explanation that makes sense. That was what I was thinking. There is no way they would double promote a Colonel to a 2 star.
shareActually it happens quite often, the term is being frocked. The ranks of General's are more of positions rather than rank. General's are confirmed by congress therefore if congress felt the need to put a Colonel in a Two-Star's position he would be frocked to a two-star but would probably have the same pay as a One-Star.
shareA Colonel wouldn't be frocked to a two star. I've arranged and participated in a frocking ceremony. A Colonel would only be frocked to a one star. This usually means that he's already made the rank of one star but the time for him to actually pin it on hasn't rolled around yet and he's in a one star position. Even if he's frocked his pay remains the same.
For the sake of argument, if a Colonel did get frocked to the position of two star he would still be making Colonel pay. Frocking doesn't change your pay in any way.
I believe the three star had offered to speak highly on the Colonel's behalf as a push for him to get his first star.
He was supposed to go from Col to Brig Gen (one star) I assume there were two in the box, one for each shoulder.
In the book Brenner said the Colonel's on the rise only as long as the General's career is on track and running smoothly.
I figure he was looking at the stars and debating whether to lie or not (wondering if he'd ever actually get to wear the stars)
The two stars weren't for his rank. Insignia come in pairs, one for each collar.
shareThe General had 1 star at the time of the rape, and got promoted to the second as a result of keeping the rape quiet.
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The stars were to show Fowler's moral quandry. Keep quiet about what happened and get promoted to Brigadier General (next step up from Colonel), or talk and blow his career and ruin his oldest friends life. Remember, he thought the General really DID kill his daughter, so the cover up he was providing was for him.
Here's to the health of Cardinal Puff.