[sammyg2]

My respects go out to that young man and his family. In a way this story hits home.


Many years ago, my older brother's best friend was accepted to Annapolis. He worked his butt off to get in there, it was a life long dream for him. This guy had never drank, smoked, swore, or did anything else he shouldn't. He made an eagle scout look like a slouch.
He was around the house all the time and was kind of an honorary brother to me.

Once he got to Annapolis he shined, top of his class. This is the kinda guy that could eventually move way up.

Part way through his senior year a drunk driver took him out and he was busted up really bad. Broken hip, pelvis, femur. Some minor brain damage to motor skills, talked with a bit of a slur but would eventually work through that.
He would mostly recover but it was obvious he would never be able to pass the navy physical. He'd need a cane to walk and that was after years of rehab.

So the Navy kicked him out of school, good by, see ya. Pay yer own medical bills after yer discharged. Rehab? It's on you. Nothing. They would not even pay the air fare to fly him back to California after he was discharged from the hospital.

The most cold-hearted thing I had ever seen.
For a long, long time my attitude was that the navy didn't deserve such fine men like him and that all the navy brass could go to hell for all I was concerned.
If my son decided to go that route I'd try to talk him out of it.