I remember , when I was in the army, This guy Johnnie Ray Graves. Nicest guy in the world. Good soldier. one day he borrows my suit case and a few days later he's in sandiego telling some navy doctor he wants to be a piece of lint.Sometimes the lid blows off the pressure cooker. I do recall drinking rather heavily to deal with the pressure. Or maybe I don't remember......
I was sharing a far perimeter position with a short-boots from the Vietnam era during a Reforger excercise. A jeep containing the Brigade Commander comes over a nearby hill when this guy started shaking. "It's Charlie man!", he says while plugging a fully-loaded 30-round magazine into his rifle.
While I'm running all this through my sleep-deprived brain he started low-crawling down the hill as fast as he could toward the jeep like a demented beetle. I had to quickly decide if he was jerking my chain or had really flipped out. He got about halfway down there and was setting up for his shot before I was on him.
Never underestimate older people. Fortunately the jeep passed over the next hill while I was getting thrashed, but a lucky hold and 10 more minutes found the guy regaining his senses and wondering what was going on.
There was no way I was going to ruin this guy when he was set to retire in two weeks with an excellent record, so I've never said anything about this for 22 years. Up to that point he was the epitome of civilized military professionalism. He got out without any further problem and got his earned honorary discharge and retirement. As far as I know he's endangered no one since. Right or wrong call?
The bank manager may be wrong but I certainly understand his sympathy. Military personnel who commit civilian crimes are subject to double indemnity, as they are beholden to punishment above and beyond military justice immediately upon release from military punishment. The bank manager may want to see the guy living his remaining feeble years in freedom before he dies.