Tool Singer Voices Support For Fired Army Chief, His West Point Prep Teammate

Last Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed that US Army chief of staff Randy George would be suddenly leaving his role after two and a half years. It's believed that he was fired by Fox News contributor-turned Trump advisor-turned secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, whose reason for ousting George remains unclear, especially as US forces continue waging war with Iran. Since news broke of his forced retirement, George has received praise and sympathy across party lines from veterans, political leaders, and friends. One of those friends just so happens to be Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan.

Before going on to form Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, Keenan himself enlisted in the Army so that he could pursue art school with help from the G.I. Bill. He went to the famed military school West Point Prep, where he adopted his "Maynard" nickname and was cross country teammates with George. Alongside a carousel of photos of their West Point days, Keenan wrote this in tribute of George:

A few thoughts on my old friend, General Randy George. As long as I can remember I wanted to be an artist in some way. Visual, musical, performing. Wasn’t certain what. Just that the Arts was where I was supposed to be. However, after H.S. graduation, the reality of tuition set in. My family were living on a teachers salary. Not much left over after bills. Grants and student loans weren’t going to cover it. So I joined the Army to take advantage of the Army College Fund. And as it turns out, I excelled in the military. Not what I was expecting. I was awarded Distinguished Graduate from both basic and advanced training. Then after many many rounds of testing I was chosen to attend U.S.M.A.P.S. and to apply to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. As you can imagine most of my classmate at West Point Prep were there with a singular mission. To be a West Point graduate and serve in our military. Focus, drive, a plan, and zero compromise. I, on the other hand, was one of the few with doubts and inner conflict.

So when my heart spoke louder than the outside influencers and I declined my appointment to West Point, most of those around me saw it as a huge mistake. But a handful were very supportive. They knew me well enough to respect that decision. One of those supportive classmates was my Cross Country teammate, Randy George. If you’ve been wading through the flood of news lately, you may recognize that name. Randy went on to be a Four Star General and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army. He was approaching his 40th year of service. I can’t even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel for having been “asked” to retire early. So I’m just here to return that favor of support. We’re here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon.