Perhaps a better question would be; How many ways can this go wrong? Has the Army lost its ever-loving mind?
USA Today and other outlets report that the Army lifts ban on recruits with mental health history. As reported according to documents obtained by USA Today, people with a history of “self-mutilation”(cutters), bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August. Why was it unannounced and have any waivers been granted for these mental health issues? The fiscal year has long passed.
It appears that once again the Army is having a hard time meeting its recruiting goals. It seems that fewer and fewer qualified applicants are not volunteering to serve. So to counter that the Army is willing to accept sub-standard applicants. Lowering the standards to meet the objective, good freaking grief. Perhaps the focus should be on retention rather than recruiting.
I mean look at the list above that the Army is willing to give a waiver for, those are some pretty serious issues. The closer it gets to the end of the fiscal year the easier it will become to obtain those waivers, to meet recruiting goals. What effect will those mental health issues have on unit readiness? Units scheduled for deployment will take to the field under-strength, possibly severely under-strength while some of their members are receiving treatment. It would be difficult if not impossible to be undergoing counseling while performing ones duties. How about the medications required to offset the mental health issues?
On a side note, again looking at the list of mental health issues, how many of them would result in failing a background check when attempting to purchase a personal firearm?
So the Army is willing to accept sub-standard recruits. Sub-standard recruits will yield sub-standard soldiers. You reap what you sow. Was the murderous savage in Texas a sub-standard recruit? How about all of the other former members of the military who committed mass murders(Florida and D.C. come to mind), were they sub-standard recruits? Was the deserter who got at least 6 killed and several more severely wounded while looking for his sorry-ass, was he a sub-standard recruit? He certainly was a sub-standard soldier, if he could have even been called a soldier.
If these waivers are granted and as times go on we may find our military being led by sub-standard leaders, who were once sub-standard recruits. You reap what you sow. Decisions being made by leaders who require medication just to cope. What happens if they come off their medications? What about the one who must be gone for a minute to relieve tension?
Lets visit drug abuse for just a minute. Lets discuss the use of marijuana, illegal according to federal law, legalized in some states for recreational use. We have now come to an unintended consequence of recreational pot. It bars people from military service.
Now lets just say that waivers are granted and the individual enters the Army. He or she will be trained in the use of weapons, up to and including machine guns. Everybody in the Army is a “grunt”, not matter your military occupational specialty(MOS)you are a rifleman. Keep in mind most of these issues would be grounds to be denied the purchase of a personal firearm. Keep in mind also that the mental capacity of each murderous savage is the first thing questioned. If the individual has a history of mental health problems the question of the day becomes; How was this person able to buy firearms?
So I ask you this, why would the Army train persons who not only pose a possible menace to themselves but pose a possible menace to others? Our military members face enough danger already are they supposed to be subjected to even more. Who gets the blame when a member of our military “goes off the rails” while in combat, training or just hanging out back in garrison? What would be the outcome of an “unhinged” person “losing control”? A really well trained person?
So I leave you with this. The local and state law-enforcement agencies are facing shortages of qualified applicants just like the military. Will they too be forced to lower their standards just to meet recruiting goals? Think about it. The standard for tattoos is what now?
DEO VINDICE
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