@purplehippo Mattis is one of the few modern examples of a military general who is actually a soldier, not just some desk jockey.  He's served in a lot of fucked up conflicts and as such when he became a member of the brass he became one of the few flag officers whom the rank and file NCOs and such could actually respect.  The amount of loyalty he has to this day even in his retirement amidst even other service branches in the US military is remarkable.  A lot of people can kind of force loyalty in the forces, given the command structure, but you can't force respect, and the US military respects Mattis more than any of his peers, I daresay.