The tragic, “American Sniper”case has a brutal, teachable moment for a society still engaged in overseas military operations.
While a jury will ultimately determine whether the murder defendant, former Marine Eddie Ray Routh, was legally insane or not, we can all agree that returning vets with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder deserve nothing less than the best treatment to ease their transition from war zone to domestic life. To relocate them from harm’s way to civilian routine. To replace warfare with a workplace. To exchange weaponry for the tools of any other trade.
So how tragically ironic that famed Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and a friend take Routh, the ex-Marine with a history of mental problems, to a shooting range to provide support and camaraderie. And are, although armed, executed.
Arguably, a shooting range is the one place you don’t go–unless it’s all you know. Which means, tragically, Kyle, who served four tours as a sniper in Iraq, never made the transition either.