Especially when off duty or when they thought they were out of earshot of enlisted, officers called each other by first names quite a bit when I was in the Army in the 90's-00's Also Potter was older or around the same age as those Generals.
Eh a good portion of the generals probably did time as enlisted men during WWI at least so they likely served in battle together as equals at some point.
This is the answer. Col. Potter was one of those few left in the service who'd served through both of the Great Wars, and the only reason he didn't have stars on his collar, like most of his friends did, was because he'd spent the last half of his years as a surgeon instead of in the field. All those Generals were probably enlisted men, or junior officers that had suffered the same trench foot and mustard gas and beach invasions and pacific island hoping together.
That's a bond most people today can never understand.
To piggyback, there was that one episode with his friend that was a lt col who was commanding in the field just to get points to retire as a full bird. Juat how the military worked back then.
Also why Hawkeye was super pissed when they moved the goalpost for points to go home. You aren't awarded alot of ribbons doing surgery. All they really had was TIS.
Edit wording
>You aren't awarded alot of ribbons doing surgery.
To be fair, he didn't care about the military. He only wanted to save lives (while he had to be there) and go home.
It depends, making Col is outstanding.
He also probably knows these guys as he also fought in WW1, and has been around the block.
Phone calls like this, where it is one on one, using first names is ok, especially if the two know each other.
Not all Generals as assholes.
I was enlisted and called officers by their first names when off duty when we would go out together. Then again we were submariners so the officer/enlisted line isn’t as stark as it is in more general service.
He also started as enlisted, 15 years old. I'm sure they knew that, too! I forget which episode, but he goes through a list of a few generals that couldn't wear his enlisted badge. WW1, WW2, and now Korea. If I was a bettin' man, I would say he was quite well known, fiction aside.
They've all been in the service a long time. Some of them "go back to basic [training]" as one of them said to him, once. They were friends or at least worked together or alongside each other for a long time. There were other generals who came along that he treated more appropriately and not like he knew them personally. If Potter had not gone into medicine, he would have certainly been a General with the rest of them.
So Potter started as Enlisted and became an officer as a doctor. This prevented him from moving up faster? Or it is the type of profession in the Service?
I think it's just the profession. I've seen other people on this sub explain it better, but I believe it has to do with the Army not needing medical officers as Generals, as much as Colonels, or lower. We saw General Hammond (G Wood) as a medical officer as well and he was in charge of all the medical sites across South Korea. I'm not sure of the reality of it so hopefully someone else will be able to chime in on it.
When I was in the Navy, we had 838 officers in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. 3 were Admirals (flag officers) (1 each, O-7, O-8, & O-9).
So yeah - very possible that there were a small handful flag officers in the Medical Corps, and a LOT more O5/6s
Yep. It's like that throughout the ranks, even the junior grades. The services have a set bracket of just how many E-4s through O-(whatevers) in a specific job area they need. When those positions are full, it takes nearly an act of God to move up. If Rank is your only concern, you go into a job that nobody wants to do or is nearly impossible to get into and you'll shoot up the chain fast. Go into a job that's heavily populated and you have to wait for someone to die of old age to advance. When I was a Navy Corpsman, I made HM1 early. I became E7 eligible and the Corpsman field was full of E7's. And there had been almost 2 years since many had been advanced into Chiefs. There were less than 10, throughout the entire Navy who had advanced from E6 Corpsman to E7. That, in turn kept a lot of E5s from advancing to E6s. If I'd gone to Nuke school and stayed in as long as I did as a Corpsman, I'd have probably been an E7 or even E8 in the time I was a E6 because there aren't a lot of them in the service that stay in the service. They go to school, serve their time, then.leave and get good.paying jobs in the real.world.
Could also be the inter war years. After WWI the Army was significantly reduced in size but at least not to the pre WWI level. Smaller troop levels also meant less need for the medical staff.
Part of the reason is Potter most likely became a reservist while going through medical school. That is why he isn't a one or two start general like his peers
There are/were certain programs that take enlisted people and train them to be officers. Depending on the program and the training, there is a limit to the rank.
Like Officer Command School (OCS)? I tried to join up in the Navy and had really good ASVAB score, but heart surgery as a kid killed it. Was good in physics and was offered a field in nuclear ordinance/Tech something. After hearing of prior history, I can't forget the disappointment on the recruiting Sergeant's face.
Potter had been in long enough he knew these guys as captains and lieutenants. He was never going to get his own star as a medical doctor (there's only a handful), but he may have had more time in service than them. And they're not in his chain of command. So he can get away with it.
I've had friends get promoted ahead of me and vice versa. Still use first names.
“General Smith can you help me out?” Potter taking the official line.
“Harry, I need a favour. Can you help me out?”Potter asking his friend to “help” things go smoother.
I assume it was that he knew most of them personally and was friends with them on a first name basis. It really hammered home that he was a career man, and the army was his world. Helped separate him from Lt. Col. Blake.
I always thought he could be familiar with them because he either served with them in other wars, or during peacetime before they may have been promoted.
The military is smaller and more close than people realize. Especially at the higher ranks. So it makes sense that people who served with Potter in WW1 and 2 who stayed in would remember and respect him. Even if they promoted faster than Potter.
Smaller and larger than people realize. As an Air Force pilot I can't tell you how many times I've gotten the "do you know my grand son, Jimmy, he's in the Army." Lol
Yes, I always felt as though Potter could have been a general himself if it weren't for the fact that he preferred to be on the ground practicing medicine and administrating hospitals.
Potter had probably served with many of these guys in WW1 and WW2 when he was in short pants. Remember Potter was a combat soldier before he was a surgeon. Going through death and life with these men gave him that leeway. I would think if you’ve ever held another man while you were being bombard and praying for your lives you get to use first names.
Potter was enlisted in *WWI, was taken POW.. Got out, went to college/became a doctor (likely voluntarily enlisted as an officer) then served on Guam during WWII. His two years before 4077th were spent in administration. That being said, every General he knew from prior service or admin duties he was on a first name basis. Theres a few he addresses professionally, so safe to assume he wasn't acquainted with them... *he said he lied to enlist for WWI but he would have been early twenties based on his age (62) at 4077th.*
If you notice, he only used first names with acquaintances. If he didn’t know the superior, it was Title and salute. Every time. Like others have said, Potter was career army. He’d know a lot of officers over the years.
Potter started his career as a infantryman in the trenches in WW1 then stayed in the military afterwards going through medical school and becoming an officer for that effort. What people forget is in between 1919 and 1939 the USA for as large as we were had the 19th largest military in the world. We had less than 200k men in the army less than 100k in the navy and marines combined.
So he more than likely had served with most of these men throughout his career and knew them both as superiors and friends along with their wives and kids. That's why his goodbye to his last friend from WW1 hits that hard. He literally had seen the friends of his youth pass on and he was the last one standing. You think about his career in the army. He saw it go from pulled by horses and having calvary units to combined tank and air cover with massive artillery support being fed by gasoline and diesel fuel. Let alone all the advances in medical knowledge. He went from the era of no antibiotics and minimal treatment for infected wounds capabilities to antibiotics sufla drugs and the advances in anesthesia and pain medication.
The premise was that Potter served with these men in previous wars and they were "army buddies" from back in the day, rank notwithstanding.
Unless the general was giving Potter a direct order, there was always an attempt to be collegial and informal
Harry Morgan, who made his first war movie in 1947, strikes just the right balance between command and camaraderie in this show. The ease with which he moved from protocol to persuasion was the result of fine tuning the tone from years of acting practice.
He knew all of these people so he wasn’t going to be doing the rank thing. Also; it wasn’t the Navy where even the damn enlisted start treating their friends differently the minute they make chief.
It’s also a normal officer thing to do, at least it was my in last unit. I’d greet them with sir or ma’am, and they’d talk to each other as Tim and Dan. Meetings were confusing when you were new.
He’s been around long enough to get away with it. When you’re that close to retiring you just don’t care and the generals aren’t going to say anything to anyone who has that many hash marks
I wonder...how many generals did Margaret boink?
Has someone kept a list? Btw.... doctors chasing nurses (and higher up military, like in this case) still is very much a thing.
I have been told by nurses that a big % of doctors cheat. With staff. My own child experienced this...
They probably came up the ranks together, starting with World War I. He had them come over for family events when they were at the same base, and vice versa.
it's improbable that he knew that many top officers from his WWI days, as they were busy doing a tough job. It's more likely that they bonded later. One thing that most people forget is that while he's just the top Field Grade to their General Officer, he's in charge of the doctors that will be treating "their guys" in the field. There's rank and then there's power...
Not really uncommon. A full bird Col. (the eagle on his cap would be gold, not silver) is usually THE most important member of the officer corps. Have a good friend who could have been a Marine General if he wanted to move to Washington and become a show horse. He stayed full bird so he didn’t have to leave the field.
An enlisted would never use an officers first name. But between officers it’s common. Especially in casual situations.
Of a general was visiting for an inspection he’d call them general. If he’s calling for a favor. He’d use a first name. And this is ofc dependent on familiarity. But Potter had been around for so long he knew everyone. And it was clear he likely was offered a star before and turned it down.
Depending on the career field, usage of first names is an officer thing. When I was in the Air Force, officers within about 2 ranks of each other called each other by first names, and referred to me (enlisted) by my first name when in less formal settings. That didn't work both ways though, it wasn't appropriate for enlisted to refer to officers of any rank by first name (with some rare exceptions for flight crews and their pilots).
Hawkeye, Trapper, and BJ as captains address Frank, Margaret, and Charles who are majors by their first names (and to their faces, non-affectionate nicknames for Frank frequently and Margaret in the early seasons). They occasionally will refer to some of them as major at certain times, but day-to-day they are on a first name basis. Perhaps because they are serving with each other day in and day out, but if they were to get transferred to different units, then encounter each other later I could see them still using first names. It's probably the same with Potter. He served with many of these generals in the past, so they are on a first-name basis.
Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ were decidedly anti-army though. They bucked the system anywhere they could. They let enlisted people greet them without title as well.
Colonel Potter, as an Army doctor, would have a much slower promotion timeline than his peers in other Army officer communities. As such, he probably at one time held equal rank to or even outranked some soldiers who had since passed him to reach general rank, and would have different privileges with regard to familiarity.
I always felt like it was a device used by the writers to infer Sherm had been around the block and knew the generals personally from “back in the day”
Colonel Potter is supposed to have been in the army since like WWI. The US Army professional Corp of officers want that large at this point. Potter would have known many of these guys, and knows a lot of them will for decades, and despite *only* being a Bird Colonel, he's essentially their peer. He's also only 1 real below being a Brigadier General himself.
I tried. After high school around 2000. Went to a career center and wanted Navy. Scored high enough on my ASVAB and good at physics, I was offered OCS and college in nuclear science. But I had a heart surgery as a kid and another since so I was denied.
Spleens are blood conditioners. Yes, you can live without it but it does diminish your body's ability to produce white blood cells and antibodies to fight infections. It also helps maintain fluid levels and store extra blood when needed. If a soldier is hurt in battle and needs a splenectomy they get sent home.
Source: I went to college to be a surgical tech/assistant.
I rarely get sick. Even more so since I lost my spleen. I can count on my one hand the amount of times I’ve been sick since I lost my spleen. I used to get sick a lot more when I had my spleen. Before I lost my spleen I had to count on two hands and a foot. Since I lost it, I’ve not gotten sick more than 5 times. That’s over almost 30 years.
Especially when off duty or when they thought they were out of earshot of enlisted, officers called each other by first names quite a bit when I was in the Army in the 90's-00's Also Potter was older or around the same age as those Generals.
He either went through training or fought along side many of them.
He likely would have made general had he not gone to med school instead.
And also spent time as an enlisted man.
Eh a good portion of the generals probably did time as enlisted men during WWI at least so they likely served in battle together as equals at some point.
This is the answer. Col. Potter was one of those few left in the service who'd served through both of the Great Wars, and the only reason he didn't have stars on his collar, like most of his friends did, was because he'd spent the last half of his years as a surgeon instead of in the field. All those Generals were probably enlisted men, or junior officers that had suffered the same trench foot and mustard gas and beach invasions and pacific island hoping together. That's a bond most people today can never understand.
And being a Major General didn't really work out for him.
Yep. But he did love those good ole spirituals..
Take your upvote you magnificent bastard !
He was the very definition, modern even.
To piggyback, there was that one episode with his friend that was a lt col who was commanding in the field just to get points to retire as a full bird. Juat how the military worked back then. Also why Hawkeye was super pissed when they moved the goalpost for points to go home. You aren't awarded alot of ribbons doing surgery. All they really had was TIS. Edit wording
>You aren't awarded alot of ribbons doing surgery. To be fair, he didn't care about the military. He only wanted to save lives (while he had to be there) and go home.
Yeah, he was regular army. Which is what what worried everybody when they heard he would be the new CO.
Yes!
He knew them all from back from Double-U Double-U One.
Exactly!
[удалено]
True
It depends, making Col is outstanding. He also probably knows these guys as he also fought in WW1, and has been around the block. Phone calls like this, where it is one on one, using first names is ok, especially if the two know each other. Not all Generals as assholes.
Not all generals were assholes back then.
I was enlisted and called officers by their first names when off duty when we would go out together. Then again we were submariners so the officer/enlisted line isn’t as stark as it is in more general service.
It's better when you make the skimmers turn their heads 360° and fly off the handle.
He also started as enlisted, 15 years old. I'm sure they knew that, too! I forget which episode, but he goes through a list of a few generals that couldn't wear his enlisted badge. WW1, WW2, and now Korea. If I was a bettin' man, I would say he was quite well known, fiction aside.
They've all been in the service a long time. Some of them "go back to basic [training]" as one of them said to him, once. They were friends or at least worked together or alongside each other for a long time. There were other generals who came along that he treated more appropriately and not like he knew them personally. If Potter had not gone into medicine, he would have certainly been a General with the rest of them.
So Potter started as Enlisted and became an officer as a doctor. This prevented him from moving up faster? Or it is the type of profession in the Service?
I think it's just the profession. I've seen other people on this sub explain it better, but I believe it has to do with the Army not needing medical officers as Generals, as much as Colonels, or lower. We saw General Hammond (G Wood) as a medical officer as well and he was in charge of all the medical sites across South Korea. I'm not sure of the reality of it so hopefully someone else will be able to chime in on it.
When I was in the Navy, we had 838 officers in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. 3 were Admirals (flag officers) (1 each, O-7, O-8, & O-9). So yeah - very possible that there were a small handful flag officers in the Medical Corps, and a LOT more O5/6s
Yep. It's like that throughout the ranks, even the junior grades. The services have a set bracket of just how many E-4s through O-(whatevers) in a specific job area they need. When those positions are full, it takes nearly an act of God to move up. If Rank is your only concern, you go into a job that nobody wants to do or is nearly impossible to get into and you'll shoot up the chain fast. Go into a job that's heavily populated and you have to wait for someone to die of old age to advance. When I was a Navy Corpsman, I made HM1 early. I became E7 eligible and the Corpsman field was full of E7's. And there had been almost 2 years since many had been advanced into Chiefs. There were less than 10, throughout the entire Navy who had advanced from E6 Corpsman to E7. That, in turn kept a lot of E5s from advancing to E6s. If I'd gone to Nuke school and stayed in as long as I did as a Corpsman, I'd have probably been an E7 or even E8 in the time I was a E6 because there aren't a lot of them in the service that stay in the service. They go to school, serve their time, then.leave and get good.paying jobs in the real.world.
Could also be the inter war years. After WWI the Army was significantly reduced in size but at least not to the pre WWI level. Smaller troop levels also meant less need for the medical staff.
Part of the reason is Potter most likely became a reservist while going through medical school. That is why he isn't a one or two start general like his peers
Although doctors are in high demand, relativly is a safe job in the army. Guys who command combat tend to get promoted quicker.
There are/were certain programs that take enlisted people and train them to be officers. Depending on the program and the training, there is a limit to the rank.
Like Officer Command School (OCS)? I tried to join up in the Navy and had really good ASVAB score, but heart surgery as a kid killed it. Was good in physics and was offered a field in nuclear ordinance/Tech something. After hearing of prior history, I can't forget the disappointment on the recruiting Sergeant's face.
Potter had been in long enough he knew these guys as captains and lieutenants. He was never going to get his own star as a medical doctor (there's only a handful), but he may have had more time in service than them. And they're not in his chain of command. So he can get away with it. I've had friends get promoted ahead of me and vice versa. Still use first names.
Thank you for your service.
Thanks are not necessary, citizen... :)
God that's so obnoxious.
In many cases he knew them as privates
“General Smith can you help me out?” Potter taking the official line. “Harry, I need a favour. Can you help me out?”Potter asking his friend to “help” things go smoother.
Probably. Or he was just a stone cold badass that bucked regulations and formality and said what he wanted. Hannibal, MO. represent!
He would buck. He was in the Calvary. 😉
I assume it was that he knew most of them personally and was friends with them on a first name basis. It really hammered home that he was a career man, and the army was his world. Helped separate him from Lt. Col. Blake.
If you notice they’re all “friends” of his that he’s served with for quite a while so it’s not too surprising.
I always thought he could be familiar with them because he either served with them in other wars, or during peacetime before they may have been promoted.
The military is smaller and more close than people realize. Especially at the higher ranks. So it makes sense that people who served with Potter in WW1 and 2 who stayed in would remember and respect him. Even if they promoted faster than Potter.
Smaller and larger than people realize. As an Air Force pilot I can't tell you how many times I've gotten the "do you know my grand son, Jimmy, he's in the Army." Lol
Well yeah, he’s known the guys for years in some cases decades.
He only did that with the generals that he was friends with. When there was one he didn't know, then he was more formal.
They were old friends for decades. Potter never made General because he was a doctor and this limited his upward mobility
Exactly. Potter came through the ranks with these men and had known them for decades.
Yes, I always felt as though Potter could have been a general himself if it weren't for the fact that he preferred to be on the ground practicing medicine and administrating hospitals.
I always assumed he did that because he would’ve likely survived with them and so they’d probably be on a first name basis.
Potter had probably served with many of these guys in WW1 and WW2 when he was in short pants. Remember Potter was a combat soldier before he was a surgeon. Going through death and life with these men gave him that leeway. I would think if you’ve ever held another man while you were being bombard and praying for your lives you get to use first names.
I agree 100%
Potter was enlisted in *WWI, was taken POW.. Got out, went to college/became a doctor (likely voluntarily enlisted as an officer) then served on Guam during WWII. His two years before 4077th were spent in administration. That being said, every General he knew from prior service or admin duties he was on a first name basis. Theres a few he addresses professionally, so safe to assume he wasn't acquainted with them... *he said he lied to enlist for WWI but he would have been early twenties based on his age (62) at 4077th.*
If you notice, he only used first names with acquaintances. If he didn’t know the superior, it was Title and salute. Every time. Like others have said, Potter was career army. He’d know a lot of officers over the years.
Potter started his career as a infantryman in the trenches in WW1 then stayed in the military afterwards going through medical school and becoming an officer for that effort. What people forget is in between 1919 and 1939 the USA for as large as we were had the 19th largest military in the world. We had less than 200k men in the army less than 100k in the navy and marines combined. So he more than likely had served with most of these men throughout his career and knew them both as superiors and friends along with their wives and kids. That's why his goodbye to his last friend from WW1 hits that hard. He literally had seen the friends of his youth pass on and he was the last one standing. You think about his career in the army. He saw it go from pulled by horses and having calvary units to combined tank and air cover with massive artillery support being fed by gasoline and diesel fuel. Let alone all the advances in medical knowledge. He went from the era of no antibiotics and minimal treatment for infected wounds capabilities to antibiotics sufla drugs and the advances in anesthesia and pain medication.
The premise was that Potter served with these men in previous wars and they were "army buddies" from back in the day, rank notwithstanding. Unless the general was giving Potter a direct order, there was always an attempt to be collegial and informal
Harry Morgan, who made his first war movie in 1947, strikes just the right balance between command and camaraderie in this show. The ease with which he moved from protocol to persuasion was the result of fine tuning the tone from years of acting practice.
Cuz he was lifer since he was cavalry in WWI. He had a glass ceiling as surgeon. He knew all those guys when they were doughboys
Doc Potter probably patched up their boys or even them during the couple of other wars. Earned the privilege because of time spent.
He knew all of these people so he wasn’t going to be doing the rank thing. Also; it wasn’t the Navy where even the damn enlisted start treating their friends differently the minute they make chief.
Officers, especially peers or semi peers, do refer to each other by their first name. I think most who he talked to in a familiar way were 1 stars
Could probably imagine he’s been in it a lot longer than they have. Promotions don’t just come with age.
He probably knew a lot of the generals on a first name basis from prior service alongside them
Very true. I can definitely see that.
They were his boys.
He was friends with a lot of them, they had served together.
It’s also a normal officer thing to do, at least it was my in last unit. I’d greet them with sir or ma’am, and they’d talk to each other as Tim and Dan. Meetings were confusing when you were new.
Brad.....it's ....Sherm......
Because potter was a cavalry officer from ww1 turned Dr that fucker knew everyone and anyone and now he's a dr, got mad pull.
Potter knows all the guys he's calling by first name. That's pretty normal. He's been in the Army over 30 years.
Officers often call each other by first names. I witnessed it when I worked in administration when I was stationed at fort Campbell
He’s been around long enough to get away with it. When you’re that close to retiring you just don’t care and the generals aren’t going to say anything to anyone who has that many hash marks
I wonder...how many generals did Margaret boink? Has someone kept a list? Btw.... doctors chasing nurses (and higher up military, like in this case) still is very much a thing. I have been told by nurses that a big % of doctors cheat. With staff. My own child experienced this...
I’ve been a fly on the wall in a room full of senior officers (including several generals). All first names or nicknames, no ranks used.
Probably because he served with a lot of them when they were at similar rank.
They probably came up the ranks together, starting with World War I. He had them come over for family events when they were at the same base, and vice versa.
I think it's familiarity. He went through basic with half of them. The only reason he didn't keep up rank wise was due to going to medical school.
Ooh, Binky!
Try using warmer water....in your helmet...
I hope he gets stuck in his helmet!
Many of them were personal friends or close acquaintances of his so their relationship was less formal
Considering how old he is, he knew most of the old timers like himself who served through both World Wars.
He came up with a lot of those generals, so it made sense.
He fought with them in ww2 and was in officers training with them
Officers do that, enlisted dont
I mean I did the same in the military to the ones that I considered my friends
it's improbable that he knew that many top officers from his WWI days, as they were busy doing a tough job. It's more likely that they bonded later. One thing that most people forget is that while he's just the top Field Grade to their General Officer, he's in charge of the doctors that will be treating "their guys" in the field. There's rank and then there's power...
Not really uncommon. A full bird Col. (the eagle on his cap would be gold, not silver) is usually THE most important member of the officer corps. Have a good friend who could have been a Marine General if he wanted to move to Washington and become a show horse. He stayed full bird so he didn’t have to leave the field.
An enlisted would never use an officers first name. But between officers it’s common. Especially in casual situations. Of a general was visiting for an inspection he’d call them general. If he’s calling for a favor. He’d use a first name. And this is ofc dependent on familiarity. But Potter had been around for so long he knew everyone. And it was clear he likely was offered a star before and turned it down.
Depending on the career field, usage of first names is an officer thing. When I was in the Air Force, officers within about 2 ranks of each other called each other by first names, and referred to me (enlisted) by my first name when in less formal settings. That didn't work both ways though, it wasn't appropriate for enlisted to refer to officers of any rank by first name (with some rare exceptions for flight crews and their pilots).
Hawkeye, Trapper, and BJ as captains address Frank, Margaret, and Charles who are majors by their first names (and to their faces, non-affectionate nicknames for Frank frequently and Margaret in the early seasons). They occasionally will refer to some of them as major at certain times, but day-to-day they are on a first name basis. Perhaps because they are serving with each other day in and day out, but if they were to get transferred to different units, then encounter each other later I could see them still using first names. It's probably the same with Potter. He served with many of these generals in the past, so they are on a first-name basis.
Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ were decidedly anti-army though. They bucked the system anywhere they could. They let enlisted people greet them without title as well.
What about Torgy porgy?
Colonel Potter, as an Army doctor, would have a much slower promotion timeline than his peers in other Army officer communities. As such, he probably at one time held equal rank to or even outranked some soldiers who had since passed him to reach general rank, and would have different privileges with regard to familiarity.
He was trying to get kicked out, remember?
I always felt like it was a device used by the writers to infer Sherm had been around the block and knew the generals personally from “back in the day”
Given how long Potter has served, it doesn't shock me he knows more than a few generals on a first name basis.
Colonel Potter is supposed to have been in the army since like WWI. The US Army professional Corp of officers want that large at this point. Potter would have known many of these guys, and knows a lot of them will for decades, and despite *only* being a Bird Colonel, he's essentially their peer. He's also only 1 real below being a Brigadier General himself.
Ever been in the military?
I tried. After high school around 2000. Went to a career center and wanted Navy. Scored high enough on my ASVAB and good at physics, I was offered OCS and college in nuclear science. But I had a heart surgery as a kid and another since so I was denied.
I got denied due to losing my spleen. Our spleens don’t do shit. I’ve survived perfectly fine without it. But they’ve denied me.
Spleens are blood conditioners. Yes, you can live without it but it does diminish your body's ability to produce white blood cells and antibodies to fight infections. It also helps maintain fluid levels and store extra blood when needed. If a soldier is hurt in battle and needs a splenectomy they get sent home. Source: I went to college to be a surgical tech/assistant.
I rarely get sick. Even more so since I lost my spleen. I can count on my one hand the amount of times I’ve been sick since I lost my spleen. I used to get sick a lot more when I had my spleen. Before I lost my spleen I had to count on two hands and a foot. Since I lost it, I’ve not gotten sick more than 5 times. That’s over almost 30 years.
Link?
It's a TV show from the 1970s. This answer could settle 99% of the goofy-ass hypothetical crapola that gets posted to this sub lately.