Passed Over, But Not Out: Thriving as a Career Major

Thank you my friend LTC (Join to see) for posting. By the way I was passed over twice for Major in regular army, forced out and then promoted to Major USAR. I was passed over twice to LTC and promoted two weeks before my MRD in May 2000
Image: Promotion to Stephen Ford to LTC in the Pentagon, DCSLOG by BG Curry on May 9, 2000

I had a good OER from a BG as senior rater as a captain which was a kiss of death for promotion. By God's grace i was advised to contact General officers I worked with/for and ask them to write letters to the promotion board. They all wrote letters on my behalf - they were BG/MG and one became LTG later.

I suffered through being passed for LtCol my first time before the Board. You must remember the Board is composed of humans and the composition of my first Board portended the result. The senior member of the Board was an officer who was an O-6 CO of another unit when I was an O-4 CO of my own unit outside the O-6's chain of command. We had butted heads over a matter that ended up going to our mutual CG. The CG decided the issue in my favor and the day of the decision I got a call from a friend serving on the O-6's staff telling me the O-6 was marching up and down the hallways of his HQ cursing Quinter and swearing he would put me in my place. When the Board was announced, my O-6 "friend" (then a BGen) was on the Board and I realized my potential for selection had suddenly decreased significantly. My only hope was that the BGen would accept our CG had made the decision based upon the good of the command and accept it as a professional disagreement. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
When the word came out an O-6 who was then my reporting senior came to my home to break the news. He expressed regret and said he couldn't understand it, saying my record should have carried me and recommending I stay the course until my second chance.
Taking his advice, when the next Board results came out, because I was above the primary zone, my name was near the top of the selectee list.
The hurt and embarrassment of the passover was deep and not only effected me, but also my wife and family, but in the end, I heard a comment had been made by the officer who briefed my case at the second board that he could not understand why I was not selected at my first board. My reaction was that the system was vindicated in my mind. I had made a decision as a Major that was correct in the eyes of my CG, paid for it by being blackballed by the individual whose opinion was overruled, but ultimately, what I considered an unfair situation was corrected.
The system is fair, but sometimes it just takes a little time and pain.

Excellent Information LTC Stephen Ford

I knew of a handful of SM’s who passed over and one Marine was forced out because he was passed over for LTC two times