Update on that “hostage taker”
Earlier today, I mentioned Klein Michael Thaxton who took a hostage in Pittsburgh today. At the time i was blogging from the road and didn’t have time to do much research, but Hondo sent us a link to an Army Times story that has some of Thaxton’s military background;
An Army spokesman said Thaxton enlisted in the Army in December 2008 and separated from the service in June 2010. The spokesman said Thaxton, who was never deployed, was a private with the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
He was a combat engineer.
So he had about 18 months in the Army (he spent longer in the public school system, I’ll bet, but that wasn’t part of the story, was it?) which means he was booted, and we can pretty accurately guess it was for discipline problems. He also broke out of his half-way house today to get to the scene of his crime. But that wasn’t part of the story initially.
It just seems to explain so well to the public what the problem was when they mention his prior military experience. Thanks, media.
Hondo adds;
Yes, he served in the Army. He never deployed. He never completed his first enlistment. His only duty assignment, other than training, was as a combat engineer at Fort Riley, KS. I don’t know why he was released from active duty after around 18 months – but the fact that he was later arrested for robbery leads me to believe it probably wasn’t an amicable parting.
I actually kinda hope his attorney tries the “PTSD defense”. Here, it’s so bogus that even the media will probably raise the bullshit flag.
Category: Media, Veterans Issues
Combat Engineer? F*&^. That is all.
SITUATION REPORT
Apparently Facebook had a big play in this story … so not being a Facebooker or Tweetist, I use my AlGore.net skills and read some of his posts.
They sounded like this.
“Yo dog, I’ms held up hear and I can’ts takes it anymores.”
“Eye wants to speak to the Po Po on my Facebook dog”.
More Real Accounts (thanks to Al Gore’s Interweb thingy):
“how this ends is up to yall bro real s–”.
He then added “i cant take it no more im done bro.”
“welln pops youll never have to woryy about me again you’ll nevr need to by me anything no need to ever waste ur hard earned money on me.”
He added “i’ll live n jail you dnt want me around anymore thats kool bye…i love u a–a sis”.
He complained of being broke and being unable to provide for himself.
“This life im livn rite now i dnt want anymore ive lost everything and i aint gettn it back instead of walkn around all broke n s–t while –s stunt on me n s–t”.
OK … now back to satire:
“Yo dog . I aint your bitch. While I ams hear in da lock up, I wills wear the lipstick and pansy hoes … but I won’t do dat. You will do what to me? OK, I will do dat.”
NOTHING FURTHER TO REPORT
In 32 years of civilian police work, out of all the folks I arrested who’d been in the military, I guess about 99% of them were kicked out…several who claimed to have been in the military, but I found never were.
My conclusion: Most who did good in the service, do good in the world. Those kicked out of the service, are usually failures the rest of their life.
The news keeps referring to this guy, suspect, prisoner, hood rat, perp, jack rabbit as an US Army veteran. I spent more time on leave in my first half of my career than this guy spent in the Army.
He probably got kicked out over being too stupid. I know some of these ipad, ipod, twitter gizmos use short cuts on spelling, but his is ridiculous.
Yo, Thaxton, be learnin how talk, dude. Maybe, den da man be liftin you up, bro, an you don’t be losin yo shit, homes.
He was fast tracked into the AEP, Accelerated Enlistment Program. That is when your four to six year enlistment ends under the two year mark.
I’d bet he entered the military on some kind of waiver – did his 18 months (likely pock-marked with minor disciplinary infractions) and he was “admin-boarded” out (if the Army still does that? I dunno the process on that end), followed by his resuming his antics as a civilian. It’d be interesting to argue a PTSD issue, unless Ft. Riley is just THAT bad. Dirt bag in… dirt bag out.