J.R. Salzman

Tracer fire would go overhead occasionally at night. IED's on the road were a daily threat. We got resupplied food every 8 days.

QRF was an hour away. After they made the minimum three gun truck rule after the guys got kidnapped, life got harder.

The stress of being out there and doing the same job every single day eats away at you. The younger guys had problems with that overtime.

Any tiny little personal issue they had suddenly became a mountain. And that shit came out on that fire base. And they snapped mentally.

After stepping on each other's nuts living in the same can for five months, guys were at each other's throats. The stress made it worse.

Guys would literally snap over a dear John letter. Their personal issues came out and they were instantly combat ineffective.

Now take someone confused about whether they are a man/woman. Take those psychological and emotional issues and put them in that environment

Take someone who is right off the bat not uniform or part of the same team. Give them special treatment because of their identity.