RIP. Some ugly truths are surfaced by the case of Major Fishback: - People who are motivated to do hard things like go to West Point and SFAS sometimes have me

RIP. Some ugly truths are surfaced by the case of Major Fishback: - People who are motivated to do hard things like go to West Point and SFAS sometimes have mental health issues; anecdotally, would say maybe even at a higher rate than the general population - People who have found their "mission in life" often can be pretty abrasive about it, alienating friends and former colleagues -- especially when it's a "moral imperative" mission like ending detainee abuse - In the social environment of an infantry platoon and/or ODA, contra what they tell you in the officer pipeline, "just doing the right thing" isn't enough; you have to do the right thing AND sell your guys on why it's the right thing. Fishback clearly failed to do the latter, especially as an ODA commander. Having your guys criticize you as both too timid and too aggressive isn't an indictment of their ability to think rationally, it's a sign you've lost their trust and confidence - The veteran mental health care system remains generally fucked, largely because the animating force behind the VA is CYA, not a bona fide desire to help patients. If their CYA interests converge with what you need, you'll get great care. If not, you can slip through the cracks, as Fishback did - On a related note, veterans can be a difficult bunch and VA mental health people are often overworked and cynical. In the case of someone like Fishback who was in crisis and probably not the easiest person to interact with, it is sad but not surprising that his care team was lackadaisical about following up and getting him the care he needed