Posted on Jun 19, 2021
General Speaks Out About Bipolar Disorder That Ended Military Career
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Gregg Martin is a born leader. He was an all-star athlete at Holbrook High School, and voted the Class of '74's "most likely to succeed." He went to West Point, then ranger and airborne schools.
Top brass in the Army saw Martin as a rising star. They sent him to MIT, where he got two master's degrees and a Ph.D. Then, he earned two more master's.
Top brass in the Army saw Martin as a rising star. They sent him to MIT, where he got two master's degrees and a Ph.D. Then, he earned two more master's.
General Speaks Out About Bipolar Disorder That Ended Military Career
Posted from wbur.org
Mental Health
Ranger
Airborne School
USMA
Iraq
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
On the aggregate effect of not diagnosing and treating mental illness on military readiness and performance:
The essence of the military is to take these wonderful young men and women who enlist and join the service, and train them so they're really ready to go deploy, fight, win in tip-top shape; and they win decisively, and they come home healthy to their families. Well, the more people with mental illness that are in that cohort of soldiers, you're going to weaken the fabric, you're going to weaken the trust. Some of them are going to be a threat to themselves and commit suicide or [attempt] suicide, which is a terrible epidemic as it is. And some of them are going to turn their weapons and their violence on others, their fellow service members. So to that extent, it tears at the fabric in the morale of the units ... and it degrades the capability to perform.
I also think that bipolar in many or most of these mental health conditions are treatable medical conditions, if diagnosed in the proper medical steps, are taken. That's the good news.
On the aggregate effect of not diagnosing and treating mental illness on military readiness and performance:
The essence of the military is to take these wonderful young men and women who enlist and join the service, and train them so they're really ready to go deploy, fight, win in tip-top shape; and they win decisively, and they come home healthy to their families. Well, the more people with mental illness that are in that cohort of soldiers, you're going to weaken the fabric, you're going to weaken the trust. Some of them are going to be a threat to themselves and commit suicide or [attempt] suicide, which is a terrible epidemic as it is. And some of them are going to turn their weapons and their violence on others, their fellow service members. So to that extent, it tears at the fabric in the morale of the units ... and it degrades the capability to perform.
I also think that bipolar in many or most of these mental health conditions are treatable medical conditions, if diagnosed in the proper medical steps, are taken. That's the good news.
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