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Kid wants to be a hero, understandable, sometimes kids join the military having been groomed on cartoons and cereal then realize the military culture isn't like
by alaskamiller 11y ago
Kid wants to be a hero, understandable, sometimes kids join the military having been groomed on cartoons and cereal then realize the military culture isn't like GI JOE.
State of mind for him was to expose corruption, again, laudable. From his narrative he attributes previous deaths in his unit to said corruption. Life is at stake.
So kid decides to trigger the most extensive exception in the active theater, attracting the immediate attention of his unit, area command, the air force, the navy, and the marines.
Now the reveal is the narrative is kid quixote but the conclusion--after exploring the why--is going to hinge on the critical question: was it worth it?
He survived. He has the stage he sought after. What was the message he needs to deliver?
Spoiler: Probably not, Berghdal is still active duty in Texas.
- stvswn 11y agoNo, I think he was attributing potential future deaths to poor leadership -- at the time of his capture, only one soldier in his larger unit (battalion level) had died -- 1LT Brian Bradshaw. This wasn't in his platoon or company.
- jeremysmyth 11y agoSpoiler: Probably not, Berghdal is still active duty in Texas. One of the functions and outcomes of great investigative reporting is to find facts that aren't already visible. The first series of Serial apparently resulted in Syed being granted a new hearing—his post-conviction hearings were re-opened by the appeals court last month, and he will get a new day in court some time soon. There's a chance that the reporting in this new series of episodes might result in a similar change in outcome or circumstance.