The following is an opinion piece by former Gen. Chris Donahue.

Before I begin, I should make one thing clear: I do not usually do exit interviews.

I have always been a task-oriented leader. My understanding was that the Army rewarded competence. Looking back, I now realize I may have been confusing the Army with literally every other profession.

When the Big Green machine needed something difficult done — operations in Iraq, operations in Syria, planning for Benghazi, humanitarian missions stateside, or trying to keep Kabul from becoming even worse — they called me.

So.

Come on.

You know why I was fired.

Like anyone who serves long enough, I have eaten my share of shit sandwiches. That is part of the job. What I was not prepared for was to have the chef blame me for the recipe.

Sure, I may have irritated some people by saying “woke” was not actually a meaningful military problem.

Maybe that did it. Or maybe I am giving myself too much credit.

The Army spent decades teaching me initiative, judgment, discipline, candor, and mission command. As it turns out, the correct answer was enthusiastic mediocrity.

That one is on me.

I also want to thank Sen. Thom Tillis for calling the whole affair “sophomoric” and “unserious.” I appreciate the sentiment, even if he only discovered his spine after announcing he was leaving public life.

Still, better late than never.

People keep asking how we got here.

I do not know. I was in meetings.

You people elected these assholes.

For years, I believed “mission first, people always” was more than decorative wall art in battalion headquarters. I thought leaders were supposed to tell the truth, accept responsibility, and build organizations capable of learning from failure.

Again, my mistake.

Here is what I learned.

Do not be the person who solves problems. Be the person who confidently explains why solving them would be woke.

Do not preserve institutional memory. Delete it, then accuse the next guy of not knowing the history.

Do not demonstrate independent judgment. Demonstrate vibes.

Above all, do not accidentally make mediocre people feel small by being prepared, competent, and useful in a crisis. That creates what the Pentagon now calls a “leadership climate concern.”

The safest career path now is simple: say “lethality” every third sentence, pretend every issue can be fixed with deadlifts, and never allow your service record to suggest you might know what you are talking about.

If asked for a recommendation, say “warrior ethos.”

If asked for evidence, say “DEI.”

If asked for a plan, say “classified.”

That is not bitterness. That is professional development.

So, to review:

Competence is for suckers. Institutional memory is optional. Merit lasts exactly as long as it flatters the right people.

And if you are wearing enough stars to have an independent opinion, or enough talent to outshine mediocrity pretending to care about excellence, you may want to update your résumé.

Take care of yourselves.

Watch your six.

And if you are still wondering why I was fired?

Come on.

You know.