Here’s another installment of the GAS - your news espresso – a small shot, packed with a WAKE-UP punch.

Here’s what we have for you today:

• Why are mentally ill and dangerous people on Active Duty Military Service?

• Do you support a border wall? POLL

• Mayor of Athens, Kelly Girtz (D) responds to Laken Riley murder

Why Are Mentally Ill and Dangerous People on Active Duty Military Service?

Have you seen the story? The one about the Active Duty Airman who lit himself on fire while screaming “Free Palestine” outside of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC?

And he filmed it for all the world to see. (you can google it)

The 25-year-old Airman- in uniform-  stated that he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” and that his suffering was minimal compared to that of Palestinians as the humanitarian crisis continues in Gaza.

Suicide is nothing to shrug off, or to be indifferent to. It’s tragic that this young man took his life. 

The other part of that is the unmistakable reality that the military is failing to properly screen its members for mental illness or dangerous tendencies. It is failing to properly address these issues when they are red-flagged.

I hoped things would be different - that my husband’s murder, and the cases I studied, would be the last. But time and time again these stories appear.

Sure, they are buried to the best of the military’s ability, but some of them slip out. Like when I got my hands on the copy of the guilty plea my husband’s killer attempted to submit, and the military lied to me about it, and I gave it to the New York Times.

That would never have been seen otherwise. 

In my husband’s case, and several others I studied for my master’s thesis (Including actually attending one other capital court martial and interviewing government experts) I identified multiple overlapping warning signs appearing in each case where an active duty military member murdered fellow military members (fratricide) or innocent civilians. While not all of these appeared in every case, every case had three or more of the following warning signs:

-Service Member (SM) was being disciplined

- Other SM’s had grown uneasy around that particular  SM, to the point of fearing for their own safety

- The SM made threats to harm others

- The SM had been admitted to the military with a waiver

- The SM was under professional mental health care that relied on medication and missed  opportunities to properly secure the SM

- SM had a history of poor performance or behavioral issues

- SM had recently experienced extensive traumatic events 

There are more characteristics and warning signs, but those were the major ones I noted. On their own it is easy to dismiss. But when three or more of these characteristics or warning signs appear, everyone should be aware and take precautionary steps to prevent such tragedies.

In my husband’s case, when the Staff Sergeant  (SSG) murdered him and the Commanding Officer, the SSG had been admitted with a mental waiver, and in spite of a history of illegal activity. He was being disciplined and was going to be losing his position. He made hundreds of threats against the CO. There were other warning signs as well.

All ignored by everyone except those who began keeping their own distance from him. And none of which were reported to the CO.

I am willing to wager any bet that time will reveal at least three of these characteristics or warning signs in this Airman’s case.

How many more will die, before the military takes action?

- Barb

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Was it as good for you as it was for us? Make sure you tell all your friends so they don’t miss out next week! 🇺🇸

Barb Allen & Dave Brown
www.greatamericansyndicate.com