Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan–An Air Force flight surgeon (and former Navy pilot) saw his stellar career tumble in the last several years of active duty, when subordinates took to exaggerating real events in order to get back at the colonel for perceived slights against them.
Unfortunately, due to unit personnel dynamics, this colonel had lost the trust of his leadership, and so it seemed as if completing his decades of service without significant personal peril was unlikely. During his last year in active-duty, and while he was rotating between in the air and on the ground supporting supporting active operations, this O-6 was called on to prove he was worthy of retiring at his rank.
Of course, this was a difficult situation. Officer grade determinations (OGDs) always are. They are required by law–10 U.S.C. sec. 1370 explains that each service Secretary determines the retiring rank for officers (one-star generals/flag officers and below) and that the Secretary of Defense determines the retiring rank for all other generals/flag officers.
Most services require specific OGD procedures upon applying for retirement, and retiring officers have very little time to prepare a package for retirement that will have lasting effects on them and their families for decades. Put this on top of serving the deployed mission, and the stress couldn’t be higher for someone not actively facing criminal prosecution.
Enter Mr. Tolin, who helped this colonel fight through the emotion and noise created by the numerous allegations that had been raised over the last several years. Mr. Tolin was able to sift through what did not matter to present the truth–that this colonel had served more than satisfactorily at O-6–and deserved his full retirement.