Smedley Butler and the Business Plot

MajGen Butler was a complex character, no doubt - his father was a powerful congressman who ran the military finance committee in the House, and he no doubt was responsible for making sure that his son, Smedley, was well taken care of in the Marines. While MajGen Butler had the courage in action and of his convictions, he was somewhat full of himself. Once his dad died, he had to scramble to get ahead. Other senior officers didn't seem to trust him, so he sat out WWI in the States when he actually wanted to be in France where the glory was. His scramble to get ahead also led him to say things that were a bit on the edge, and he was suddenly woke at a rather late point in his career about his being a so-called "muscleman" for American businessmen. He also took a leave of absence from the Marine Corps to become police commissioner in Philadelphia, where he was strong for prohibition and was somewhat of a puritan for moral causes, which pissed off a lot of people. I believe his actions in the latter part of his career and his unflinching honesty about his own convictions angered senior officers in the Marine Corps and the Executive Branch, which is why he never became Major General Commandant.

MSgt Gerald Orvis - Very well stated, sir. Did you ever know a CIT guy CWO Randy Robbins? WOBC classmate, USMC softball team stud, and my BOQ suite mate at Camp Butler. Best, Will

CWO - Nope, I didn't know CWO Robbins - probably a little after my time. I retired in '88. If he was around while I was active, he was probably a junior CI Marine that I never met (and there were a LOT of those) before I retired. My guess is he made warrant officer after I retired. I had no contact with Marine CI teams for about five years before I retired, and a lot of junior Marines entered the CI field during that time.

MSgt Gerald Orvis - Got it. We were in WOBC 89, so I'm sorry we missed you. Same Corps, different times. Thanks, Will