I sat and read through this whole wild story early this AM.
So the vet is some Senior Airman....based out of San Antonio...code-writer geek. He's disturbed over the Hamas-Israel 'war', and flies up to DC....standing in front of the Israeli embassy....setting himself on fire, while in his BDU uniform and recording the whole event as his protest. News folks say in the past three hours...he passed on.
The media 'twist' that he is a combat-action Vet? BS....but it looks good for social media.
In uniform for a protest? Well....the Air Force has had a reg against that for five decades. Either he didn't the little speech in basic training, or he lost himself in reality.
I'd been in the Air Force for about three years when I realized that a small number of folks (probably 3-percent) were not of the maturity level for the job and stress involved in the Air Force.
These were people without common sense, and lacking the mental/emotional tools to deal with reality. They were mostly relying upon the other 97-percent to get them through life and the mission.
By the time I retired in 1999...I eased the number up from 3-percent to around five-percent. By 2010, I eased the number up to around ten-percent.
Gen Z folks? Yeah, that has a good bit to do with the perception.
The sad thing now...back in San Antonio at the guy's base....there's going to be group herded up to go and investigate this kid's leadership 'line'.
I would imagine as each gets dragged into a room to face a tribunal-like group....each will respond that the gentleman seemed claim and capable, but lacking common sense and unfocused. Each will be asked....what did you do about it? Each will respond that it's not their job to teach common sense or spending 8 hours a day yanking on people's mind to remind them to focus.
It is a crazy world we live in, and some folks make it more crazy than what it should be.
