Two-star general denied promotion (and thus loses his career) for calling a congressional aide "sweetheart".

Okay, ladies, gentlemen, and those of you who might be non-gendered persons, let's get this up

What started with censuring horrid people like Harvey Weinstein for thrusting his tongue into a woman's mouth has now reached down to the level of tossing life-long soldiers onto the trash heap for an incautious, non-pc term. We've gone crazy.

STUTTGART, Germany — Maj. Gen. Ryan Gonsalves’ nomination for a third star has been pulled in the wake of an Army Inspector General’s probe that found he disrespected a female congressional staffer when he called her “sweetheart.”

A report of the investigation into the incident was provided Friday to Stars and Stripes and determined the “preponderance of the evidence” indicated Gonsalves referred to the staffer as "sweetheart" during an October 2016 meeting.

As a result, Gonsalves violated Army Command Policy, which requires treating others with “dignity and respect,” the investigation concluded. The IG recommend the report be referred to the Judge Advocate General for “appropriate action.”

So far, the Army declined to detail what the future holds for Gonsalves, who led the 4th Infantry Division until August but is now serving as a special assistant to the commanding general, III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas.

It's my understanding of military promotions that, when denied as in this case, that officer's career is over. So we lose the service and expertise of a general, while a young woman's shock and hurt at being addressed as "sweetheart" is soothed. Seems like a poor deal for the country.