William Faulkner gets his third star, let’s hope he buys a round for the room tonight

Faulkner, the writer of Mississippi, famously said that the past isn’t dead, it is not even past. Turns out he was more right than he knew: He is still with us, and just got promoted by the Marines to lieutenant general. Maybe he can hang out with my favorite U.S. admiral, Julius Caesar. If you think I am joking, click on that last link.

I don’t know General Faulkner, but I have met John Toolan, whom I interviewed when I was writing ‘Fiasco.’ I was impressed to see him promoted as well, to CG IMEF. He is exactly the kind of sober, tough leader you’d like to see leading your son or daughter in combat. I can remember almost word-for-word his comments on fighting in Fallujah.