[gregebowman]

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
Heinlein was big on this topic. His comments on it in Starship Troopers are absolutely scathing. In the system he described in that book, all officers had to be selected from the ranks, and the idea of training and commissioning a civilian to be an officer was mocked to scorn.

Heinlein must have served under a Lt. Niedermeyer type at some point...

Interesting enough, Heinlein was a Naval Officer. I'm not sure of his rank or when he served, but I do know that much about him. I haven't read Starship Troopers in about 25 years, and my copy is probably still at my mom's house somewhere. I'll have to get another copy and reread it sometime.