West Point cadet quits over religion

reply to post by littled16


that is an interesting point, depression can distort reality....it does make sense, and the honorable discharge is exactly what he would receive for a medical discharge. And the academy would not comment further in any regards due to the sensitive nature.

Originally posted by pointr97

Originally posted by BrokenAngelWings33
reply to post by pointr97

 

Was that in the article? I must have missed it...please find this fact and post it for me.

I missed this the first time as well, it was only the cut and paste error when i caught it.

But later, he struggled after his father committed suicide. He was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety and disqualified from being commissioned as a second lieutenant, the usual next step for West Point graduates.

This is a huge red flag when commissioning an officer, they have a suicidal tendency, you do not want to give them a weapon and 30 souls that rely on them.

edit on 6-12-2012 by pointr97 because: (no reason given)

I meant this...

he failed a psych test.

Being diagnosed with clinical depression is failing a psych test? Can diagnoses ever be wrong? Does this mean that there still wasn't a underlying problem concerning religion....yes maybe he can perceive things a certain way...would you at least admit the army is far from perfect?

reply to post by pointr97

Makes him look better that he was persecuted than just crazy.

Well now you went and jumped over the line...since when is depression the same as being crazy? Obviously you need a definition...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) (also known as recurrent depressive disorder, clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities.

You must not have ever had someone depressed in your life or lost a close relative to death to be so callous, perhaps you are crazy?

From I read he was not diagnosed with "psychotic depression" that would include delusional episodes...but he did lose a close relative and part of the grieving process involves depression. Being in an environment that was not compassionate only added to his inability to cope.

There are (5) steps to grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.

Again, some of what he was feeling had to do with his father, some had to do with his treatment by the army and some had to do with his perception and some had to do with reality, the truth is very rarely cut and dried, to many people have their own perceptions. I started this thread because I admired his guts for bringing this issue out, now whether he is right or not about his perceptions...there are others that have experienced similar circumstances in the military.

I, for one, have never been in the military; I do know what it is like for people to change their perceptions of others when they realize what they thought was not the reality. I never purposely deceived any former employers into thinking I believed in any specific religion, but boy they sure did change their tunes on me after they found out what I did practice, this is why it is easy for me to believe what he is saying has some truth in it.

reply to post by littled16


Even if what you suggest is true, people in power abuse it. He may have pissed off the wrong person and been targeted; happens everyday.

reply to post by pointr97


Maybe you are depressed and don't know it, perhaps you should look in the mirror, you seem to exhibit signs of denial and delusion, could be your perception of things is being distorted. See how easy it is to make statements...all I suggested was maybe he is telling the truth regardless of his situation and others are using his mental state to discredit him.

reply to post by BrokenAngelWings33


I thought I might interject here a bit. My experience with the US Army is that the Army in general and the commanding officers do their best to be accepting and sensitive to soldiers of all belief systems and mental health status. I knew many Christians, but also some Atheists, Pagans, and even a few Satanists during my time- albeit many years ago (the mid to late '80s). That being said people of alternate belief systems were treated differently by a small percentage of their fellow soldiers, but never around their COs. If a CO caught someone being discriminated against disciplinary actions were taken.

Just thought I'd add some first hand experience, albeit from long ago and definitely not from West Point.

LTcat16

reply to post by littled16


I am certain that the majority of the CO's refrain from this behavior overtly. That is not to say that decisions are not influenced by personal feelings. I mean they are CO's for a reason, right? They got there by playing the game. Doesn't mean there are not some that can abuse the privilege of their position to affect certain situations, right? Do we not see this behavior in every day life LT? Why would the military be exempt, they are a microcosm of a macrocosm? I am just not so sure they are not at fault somehow for this young man's perception of his circumstances, he is not the only one to have these feelings. He is just the one who made it public, what does he gain from it? He opens himself up to be scrutinized even further and ostracized for having the audacity to bring it public.

reply to post by BrokenAngelWings33

Oh, I'm not arguing that it's not possible that it could happen the way you explain it either. It's just that to be objective we must consider all possible scenarios, and a scenario I proposed earlier in the thread is equally possible.

Yes, he could be trying to do good by exposing a possible corruption, or he could be seeking attention as part of a "misery loves company" situation. I'm dealing with someone in the midst of such a scenario right now, and that is why I'm trying to see both sides of the pancake. If you did not know this person and he told you his story you would be sympathetic and believe that many others are causing his problems, but if you knew the truth you would not have much pity for him.

It's all subjective, therefore we must strive to understand different perspectives.

Originally posted by smashdem
To Wrabbit:
Humor/disdain, I found it very childish. I went through recruit training there, not a civilian job.
Also, I am comparing my experience to the movie, Full Metal Jacket. Not this situation in the OP, as in I never got personally jacked up like that, nor did anyone I see, and never heard about it happening, in relation to anything religious.

edit on 6-12-2012 by smashdem because: (no reason given)

edit on 6-12-2012 by smashdem because: (no reason given)

Thanks for the reply. Read that way? Your post make perfect sense now. Sorry to question....but it's not the first time a person here would have made claims of being something or doing something to go on, in the same post, to say things about it that prove their claims to be utterly impossible or implausible at best.

Now reading it? Well..Your post brings a smile actually. My brother-in-law saw both Afghan and Iraq during his time in the Marines during the first part of the wars. I could hear him saying just about the same thing or worse. extra DIV