Over 30 Years Of Service Marred By Scandal

It's a shame about Maj. Gen. Glen Reith. Over the years I have gotten to know both him and his wife quite well.

He: as the stoic soldier and commander, presiding over multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She: as the head of the Family Readiness Council, helping the families left behind during those deployments.

I like them both, and can't fathom the accusations -- and admissions -- coming out of this scandal.

Reith has served our country with distinction for 30 years, almost 10 years as the head of the New Jersey National Guard. Despite some internal squabbles, he has done well. He has helped put a face on the dedication and struggles of our citizen soldiers.

The General has now resigned (retired) after being caught with a subordinate doing inappropriate things in his office. A career that spanned three decades, forever sullied by scandal. Make no mistake, he brought this on himself by making decisions rooted in idiocy.

It reminds me of my father's admonitions as I was going through a rough patch in my childhood. My dad had an excellent reputation in our small town that he had earned over the course of his lifetime. 20 years after his death, I'm still known in town as "Donny's Boy," and the old timers tell me revered tales of my father. He knew the value of a reputation and a good name, and how it can all come crashing down with one bad decision.

Gen. Reith has learned that lesson the hard way.