When I wrote about Kyle, two postings back, it was prompted by a few different things.
Yes, a pal and I were discussing him because one of Kyle’s friends recently passed away.
But there were other reasons that prompted my writing. Soon realized it would result in more than one blog posting.
Here is one of them.
I was reading an article that disturbed me. It was the story of a decorated veteran, like Kyle, who also brought back something from Vietnam.
This hero’s name was Andrew. He came from a Southern military family. His father and brothers served our country. Andrew volunteered for Vietnam.
His position was “Forward Observer.”
The following is a quote from a guy who served with him.
“During the period when Lieutenant Brannan served, the Forward Observer had the shortest life expectancy of any category of soldier in Vietnam.”
Can you imagine what horrors he witnessed? What horrors he might have inflicted?
All accounts show that Lieutenant Brannan returned from Vietnam a changed person. He had experienced warfare. Like Kyle he had been exposed to Agent Orange. Family loss and weakening mental health only added to the trouble that was brewing ahead of him.
It just sounds like he couldn’t get it together after the war. He isolated himself. Couldn’t finish school. Wasn’t successful with his marriage. Was eventually put on meds. Lived in a plywood shack he constructed. Spent lot of time trekking alone in woods.
He was off his medication for a few days when he was pulled over by a young police officer for a traffic violation in 1998.
The end result is that Andrew Brannan killed a Sheriff’s Deputy. There is a video of the actual confrontation and crime. No disputing the video.
The video shows a man (who did not know he was being filmed) exhibiting erratic behavior. Dancing around weirdly. Then he grabs a rifle from his truck. If you notice his stance and movements toward the policeman’s car it would put you in mind of a soldier during the middle of a war scene.
No disputing the man wasn’t right in the head.
This veteran murdered an innocent, young man that day.
A heart-breaking tragedy for the family of the deputy. And so many others.
On January 15, 2015, Andrew Brannan was executed by lethal injection in the state of Georgia.
His lawyers tried to get his sentence commuted to life without parole. But they lost their appeals. So Lieutenant Brannan, decorated veteran with severe PTSD, ceased to exist.
Just feels kind of rotten to kill someone who served our country by killing for us. So much wrong with that sentence. No pun intended.
In a prepared statement given to his lawyers, he said: ‘I am proud to have been able to walk point for my comrades, and pray that the same thing does not happen to any of them.’
In his official last statement, moments before the injection was administered, Brannan said: ‘I extend my condolences to the Dinkheller family, especially Kyle’s parents and his wife and his two children.’
I was discussing the death penalty with my friend, Jenny, on a recent visit to Malaysia. There are many viewpoints on this very hot topic. We touched upon a few.
There is this one. How about we don’t kill anyone at all?
The guilty could suffer every day. Just like the surviving victims of their crimes. Or become remorseful. Or get help if they are mentally ill.
One “newly available” cell will not make a difference in America’s already over-crowded and over-burdened prisons. The death penalty does not deter.
Evil exists. I have no doubt about that. But not all criminals are evil. That’s another blog posting.
No one is above the law. Whether you served your country or not. Everyone needs to be accountable in a courtroom in they committed a crime.
The punishment, however, is the tricky thing. Especially for the U.S. because we actually have States that still practice the death penalty.
Side note: Along with more than fifty countries in the world. If you look at that guest list you’d reconsider going to the party. Not exactly the finest bedfellows.
So can a person who is or was mentally ill be executed?
Sure.
Usually not mentally retarded folks. But history will show more than a few, with IQs less than 70, got the chair or injection. More than a few.
Mentally ill? Jury is still out on that one.
Is everyone who commits an act of murder mentally ill? Even if it’s temporary?
I do not believe that the late Lieutenant Brannan, Bronze Star recipient, was evil. He was just very ill.
Andrew Brannan was a fresh-faced young man from the South who proudly served his country. He came from a family who all served their country. He was one of the “lucky ones” who came back.
But he brought something back from those jungles and it was called mental illness. In the form of PTSD.
Honestly? I think we killed him twice.
His lawyers might have failed him by not getting the “life without parole” sentence but it sure is tough for folks not to be emotionally moved by a young widow with small children. Especially when it’s the family of a police officer.
But who is really responsible and could this all have been avoided?
We (our nation) are responsible and yes it could have been avoided. If we never sent our boys off to war. If we never exposed them to chemicals and atrocities that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
But that horse is already out of the barn.
Nothing to be done for Kyle or Andrew. Too late.
What can be done for the many others who are still out there suffering?
Maybe every time we say “Thank you for your service” to a veteran it’s not just a rote “see how patriotic I am” reaction. Instead of that gratefulness recusing any work, charitable or not, on our part why not explore how we can actually support them. What if every “thank you” prompted a knee-jerk act of kindness of compassion? Being an advocate for their needs. Donating time or resources. Reflect on those suffering. Before posting passive-aggressive memes “Helping homeless U.S. Veterans before refugees” without doing anything except moving digits on a keyboard maybe take the time to actually help homeless U.S. Veterans.
So many opportunities to help so many.
In memory of the Kyles and Andrews who sacrificed their minds and their bodies.
For us.
Just Being Mary 