Serial Podcast Season 2 Episode 7 and 8 – Reflection

            In episodes 7 and 8, the podcast explores why Bowe walked off and what was he going through at the time. Bowe grew up being homeschooled and spent a lot of his time in solitude and would explore the 40+ acres he grew up on. Bowe was scared of punishments from his family as they were varied and inconsistent. When Bowe was around 15 he became close with the Harrison family. Kim, the mom, Kayla her daughter and a son. Kayla and Bowe became very close friends. Kayla says Bowe was very protective and said that Bowe held the world and other people to very high standards.  Bowe worked at the Harrison’s tea shop for a while. In his late teens Bowe went on a journey of trying to find himself. He would ask lots of existential questions. He took odds jobs everywhere from Alaska to South Carolina. Bowe even tried to join the French Legion. Eventually Bowe decided to join the military. However, when Bowe was at basic training for the Coast Guard he had some type of mental breakdown and was discharged. A few years later Bowe signed up for the Army and he had to write a paragraph about his discharge for the requirements waiver. At that time the Army was giving out a large portion of waivers to meet the demands of the war. When Bowe was released he met with Dr. Valdovinos, a psychologist assigned to help Bowe reintegrate into society. In 2015, Bowe’s defense team requested a 706 sanity board (mental health assessment) which was conducted by Dr. Christopher Lang who diagnosed Bowe with schizotypal personality disorder which did not surprise Dr. Valdovinos who got to know Bowe during his reintegration. General Dahl and Mark Boal both agree that Bowe’s reasoning to walk of was right in Bowe’s mind however in hindsight Bowe’s logic was factually wrong.  

          I don’t think Bowe was fit for service in the US Army because of his breakdown during US Coast Guard boot camp. I feel that Bowe should have had to go through multiple evaluations and therapy sessions before enlisting. In my opinion, people who have a history of mental health problems should have to get a minimum of two separate psychiatric evaluations to be cleared for service. I also think people who have any criminal background should have to be evaluated by a professional and if a violent crime was committed they should be banned from all military service. One thing all of the military branches should do is have a combined database for anyone discharged from any branch of the military for any reason (medical, honorable, dishonorable, psych, etc.) This would allow anyone with prior military service to be examined before being allowed (or considered to be allowed) back in.