Update on 2018 USNA Midshipman Drug Case

With all due respect, it’s not “ tragic.” It is unfortunate that this individual decided to commit the crimes of which he was convicted. However, he did it and the punishment seems appropriate.

I suppose it’s sad for his family and friends but I hope the result is viewed favorably by mids. The military does not tolerate drug use/sales. Period.

I should have been more clear: what I meant is that it’s tragic this Mid made these choices, threw away his opportunities. Not the punishment. And my Mid was floored someone would do something so stupid. Loose sight of how blessed they are to attend a service academy. And yes he views the result “favorably”.

I completely agree with you.
 
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Drugs are not unique to USNA. Every military academy has had a drug scandal. West Point had an oxycodone/cocaine bust last year, Air Force had a well-publicized K2/spice issue a few years ago, and even Coast Guard (a military branch with a mission of keeping drugs OUT of the country) had a cadet accused of sniffing cocaine inside Leamy Hall.
^ This --- it happens at USNA every few years. I recall seeing a big patch on a wall in one of the rooms in my Company area, and hearing of a big bust in the Hall the year before I arrived. (Early 80s).
 
I went back and read my post at the start of the thread, and I still shake my head at the bad apples that manage to get in. The vast majority of mids are right-thinking people who generally try to do the right thing, or if they choose to flout a rule and break their oath, it’s a non-UCMJ admin offense.

There are those who take their bright minds and planning skills and use them in criminal ways, and they never mention that in their admissions essays, interviews or show it in test scores and GPA.

Not long after I arrived at USNA for duty as a BattO, we had a full-on NCIS investigation. A well-liked mid figured out who was having their wisdom teeth done (a brisk business) or other procedures where it was likely they were given a few Percocet. He would slip into their rooms and take them, knowing mids would not usually secure them in their con locker. He sold them off-Yard.
There have been mids with kleptomania, whose conditions became apparent when stress worsened the compulsion. Those folks were helped in the right way, once their problem was diagnosed.

I too was floored, as a “non-grad,” thinking the stuff I had seen in the Fleet didn’t happen at USNA. My fellow BattOs warned me that mids gave the same excuses at adjudications (admin punishment hearings) as sailors and Marines, but they used better grammar and vocabulary.
 
There are those who take their bright minds and planning skills and use them in criminal ways, and they never mention that in their admissions essays, interviews or show it in test scores and GPA.

A bit OT, but I once had the opportunity to observe a trial involving crack cocaine. The person running the conspiracy was a 32-year-old man who was incredibly articulate and seemed to be quite intelligent. He denied ever using drugs (and there was no evidence to the contrary). I couldn't help but think he could have been the CEO of any mid-sized business. And then, of course, I realized he was in fact running a business -- albeit an illegal one. He got 35 years in the federal penitentiary.

Unfortunately, with close to 5,000 mids/cadets attending the 5 SAs at any given time, there are bound to be a few bad apples. To be fair to the SAs, there's no real way to ferret out these folks during the application process if they've not previously run afoul of the law or the school disciplinary system. One can only they are stupid enough to get caught before they get to the fleet (Army, AF, etc.) where they can do real damage.
 
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