As Bugs Bunny would have said...it just don't add up
There is an interview in Esquire with the SEAL who actually fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden. Identified only as the "shooter", his accounts have been verified as best can be done by the author of the article containing the interview. His account sounds accurate and it is very easy to believe that he was the shooter. I don't doubt that for a moment.
But there's something I don't understand. He is angry that he is without pension, medical care, employment prospects and will have to wait months, maybe even years, for his application for a disability pension to be processed.
The thing is, he chose to leave the Navy 36 or so months short of qualifying for retirement. True, retirement pay is not a princely sum, roughly 50% of one's military pay for serving only 20 years. But it comes with that pension, access to the exchanges and commissaries on military posts, and low-cost healthcare for the entire family.
So why did he get out, that close to those benefits? I can certainly understand that he was done with being a SEAL and risking his life on a frequent basis. Roll the dice enough times and you will crap out eventually. But that didn't mean he was forced to leave. They will transition such people into other occupations when they're no longer able to serve in such elite units.
If he was physically unqualified to continue service, he'd have gotten a medical retirement. That happened to a friend who was involved in an off-duty auto accident. He had a traumatic brain injury and never fully recovered his mental abilities. So they gave him a medical retirement.
Therefore, since he wasn't medically retired or administratively discharged, it appears the shooter made the choice to leave the Navy on his own. And that's fine. If that was his choice, so be it. But why would he be angry that he isn't getting a pension or other benefits when he had to know that he hadn't served the required time to get them automatically?
It just doesn't add up. But I wish him well and thank him for his service. And I hope his anonymity is preserved. He deserves to live out his life without becoming a known target for retaliation.
But there's something I don't understand. He is angry that he is without pension, medical care, employment prospects and will have to wait months, maybe even years, for his application for a disability pension to be processed.
The thing is, he chose to leave the Navy 36 or so months short of qualifying for retirement. True, retirement pay is not a princely sum, roughly 50% of one's military pay for serving only 20 years. But it comes with that pension, access to the exchanges and commissaries on military posts, and low-cost healthcare for the entire family.
So why did he get out, that close to those benefits? I can certainly understand that he was done with being a SEAL and risking his life on a frequent basis. Roll the dice enough times and you will crap out eventually. But that didn't mean he was forced to leave. They will transition such people into other occupations when they're no longer able to serve in such elite units.
If he was physically unqualified to continue service, he'd have gotten a medical retirement. That happened to a friend who was involved in an off-duty auto accident. He had a traumatic brain injury and never fully recovered his mental abilities. So they gave him a medical retirement.
Therefore, since he wasn't medically retired or administratively discharged, it appears the shooter made the choice to leave the Navy on his own. And that's fine. If that was his choice, so be it. But why would he be angry that he isn't getting a pension or other benefits when he had to know that he hadn't served the required time to get them automatically?
It just doesn't add up. But I wish him well and thank him for his service. And I hope his anonymity is preserved. He deserves to live out his life without becoming a known target for retaliation.
posted by me at 8:15 AM
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