\n\tTool<\/a> singer Maynard James Keenan made the political personal over the weekend when he posted a lengthy Instagram message in support of his one-time West Point Academy classmate General Randy George after the four-star general was forced to take immediate retirement<\/a> by Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth for reasons so far not revealed.<\/p>\n \n\tThe decorated Army Chief of Staff was ousted in the middle of Donald Trump\u2019s grinding air war in Iran, shocking many military observers, including one who told Axios<\/a><\/em> that such an action in the midst of a potentially historic conflict was \u201cinsane.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tKeenan posted images from his time at West Point<\/a> of himself with George \u2014\u00a0who had just one year left in his term \u2014 and wrote of their time together at the distinguished military academy that has turned out Army officers for more than 224 years. \u201cA few thoughts on my old friend, General Randy George,\u201d wrote Keenan, who explained that as long as he could remember, he\u2019d wanted to be some kind of artist, but after high school the \u201creality of tuition\u201d set in so he had to figure out another path to his dream.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy family were living on a teachers salary. Not much left over after bills. Grants and student loans weren\u2019t going to cover it. So I joined the Army to take advantage of the Army College Fund. And as it turns out, I excelled in the military. Not what I was expecting,\u201d Keenan wrote of the time in the early 1980s when he was figuring out his path. \u201cI was awarded Distinguished Graduate from both basic and advanced training. Then after many many rounds of testing I was chosen to attend U.S.M.A.P.S. and to apply to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. As you can imagine most of my classmate at West Point Prep were there with a singular mission. To be a West Point graduate and serve in our military. Focus, drive, a plan, and zero compromise. I, on the other hand, was one of the few with doubts and inner conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut when the time came to make a decision, he declined an appointment, which, he said, many around him at West Point at the time, saw as a \u201chuge mistake. But a handful were very supportive. They knew me well enough to respect that decision. One of those supportive classmates was my Cross Country teammate, Randy George.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tKeenan noted that George went on to a distinguished military career, rising to the rank of four-star general and U.S. Army Chief of Staff. \u201cHe was approaching his 40th year of service. I can\u2019t even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel for having been \u2018asked\u2019 to retire early,\u201d Keenan said. \u201cSo I\u2019m just here to return that favor of support. We\u2019re here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Reuters<\/a>, the Pentagon confirmed George\u2019s early retirement, but gave no reason for his ouster at a time when thousands of soldiers from the Army\u2019s elite 82nd Airborne Division are making their way to the Middle East for possible ground operations in Iran. Though there were reportedly no outward signs of friction between Hegseth and George, the move was the latest in a string of more than a dozen firings of senior military officers carried out by the former Fox & Friends Weekend<\/em> host over the past year.<\/p>\n \n\tIn an outgoing email following his shock ouster, George told Pentagon officials that U.S. soldiers deserve \u201ccourageous leaders of character,\u201d according to CBS News<\/a>. \u201cI know you\u2019ll all continue to stay laser-focused on the mission, continue innovating, and relentlessly cut through the bureaucracy to get our warfighters what they need to win on the modern battlefield,\u201d George wrote. \u201cOur soldiers are truly the best in the world \u2013 they deserve tough training and courageous leaders of character. I have no doubt you will all continue to lead with courage, character, and grit.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Billboard](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/2HpFicp.png\")