When people see a movie like Training Day or something like The Shield, they usually don't know those stories are based upon real events (the Rampart scandal). Sadly, the narrative is all too real when you look at history only this time it took a tragic turn.
A SOF selection and training pipeline can only do so much to "build" a better human being or screen for those who don't belong. Take a couple of bad apples and weak leadership, now you have a recipe for disaster. We'd like to think peer pressure doesn't play a role, but if you believe a tab or badge can overcome some basic human instincts you're wrong. If people were infallible then leadership wouldn't matter as much in cases like these.
What those two did is horrific, but how did they get to that point? Was this their first instance of theft? Were others threatened and only SSgt Melger had to courage to speak up?
To me the second greatest "fail" here is the lack of immediate disciplinary action. A ship captain or squadron commander with nothing to do with an incident will immediately find themselves reassigned due to a "loss of confidence in their ability to command." If nothing else, DEVGRU should have a new command staff and that should have happened within days or weeks of this incident. NSW is sending a clear signal that they do not have the some standards as the rest of the Navy.
Regardless of other SEAL incidents, even in DEVGRU, I view this as a couple of shitbirds who were confronted by a man of integrity. That man paid for it with his life. In a world where everyone in uniform is hailed as some kind of hero, SSgt Melger stands well above the rest. That should be a bittersweet point of pride for the Regiment.
BSBD.
