(1) Breaking: Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, commander of @US5thFleet in Bahrain, was found deceased in his residence in Bahrain today.
"No foul play is suspected," which means either natural causes or suicide. I suspect the latter, and invite you to this thread about another case:
"No foul play is suspected," which means either natural causes or suicide. I suspect the latter, and invite you to this thread about another case:
(2) Fair winds and following seas, Vice Admiral Stearney.
He served 36 years in the Navy.
He served 36 years in the Navy.
(4) It's *possible* that his death was natural causes but with the limited info currently available to me, this has all the hallmarks of suicide. Just bc someone is near the top of a distinguished military career, doesn't mean they aren't struggling on the inside. It's so sad.
(5) There'll be the usual ill-timed outbursts of conspiracy kooks, & I treat them with the contempt they have earned. Conspiracists are unable to cope with the harsh reality & tragedy of human nature, so they seek comfort in fictional tales. There is a cure, but it's hard work.
(6) Much like overcoming alcoholism, the conspiracy kook can only heal if they gain insight & choose to seek help. Then there is a long process of months & years where they can learn about the real world, & how to avoid falling into the traps set by those who manipulate people.
(7) So I ignore conspiracy kooks on Twitter as much as I can, knowing our fleeting encounter isn't going to achieve much that is of use to them.
I'd rather promote mental health awareness, esp. among active duty military & veterans. Depression is a life threatening illness.
I'd rather promote mental health awareness, esp. among active duty military & veterans. Depression is a life threatening illness.
(8) This tweet and video clip is how I found out about Vice Adm. Stearney's death. You can sense the pain in Admiral Richardson's voice.
(9) Stearney's official portrait:
(10) Vile conspiracy kooks Exhibit A.
I won't add many of these... you get the drift from the first few you see. Confirmation bias and other basic cognitive errors and logical fallacies are the stock in trade of the manipulators who feed the behavior.
I won't add many of these... you get the drift from the first few you see. Confirmation bias and other basic cognitive errors and logical fallacies are the stock in trade of the manipulators who feed the behavior.
(12) I will give equal time to tweets by fellow emotionally mature adults, whose immediate reaction to news like this is to think of the person's loved ones, and others traumatized by the event. Salute.
(13) The Vice President attends as many Dover AFB dignified transfers as he can, as seen here when the three servicemen killed by an IED returned this week. I think he will probably be there for VADM Stearney, and POTUS will too.
(14) Some of the reasons I suspect this was suicide and not natural causes eg heart attack:
>Both are possible so we need to consider relative probability
>His medical care & screening would have been top notch
>If there was a CVD family history they prob would have said
>Both are possible so we need to consider relative probability
>His medical care & screening would have been top notch
>If there was a CVD family history they prob would have said
(15) Sudden out-of-the-blue fatal cardiac arrest is very rare and is usually associated with family history. It mainly strikes teenagers, people under 40, etc. If a fit, well screened male has reached his 50s without it happening, he's getting towards being safe from it, IMO.
(16) Cardiac risk factors are family history, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, other drug use, extreme stress eg undiagnosed sleep apnoea, and a bunch of other less common causes.
IMO it is more likely that Stearney had been battling hidden struggles like Job Price did.
IMO it is more likely that Stearney had been battling hidden struggles like Job Price did.
(17) Like Price, where does a high ranking military officer go with his or her doubts and fears? Yes, excellent services are made available and encouraged, but as explained in the NYT story about Price, many barriers stop them from reaching out. It's so hard to help them.
(18) The other reasons for my suspicion of suicide here is that the announcement was made late at night local time in Bahrain, & the content & tone of the announcement.
Someone in Stearney's position would not be missing for long before an aide went looking for him.
Someone in Stearney's position would not be missing for long before an aide went looking for him.
(19) We'll eventually find out what time he was found, which can be at least several hours before the announcement. When a group of sailors are lost at sea, the wait for next of kin notification can be long, but this is different.
(20) If there was a suicide, the means would likely be visible when found, and there may also be a note. If the Admiral knew this when he made his announcement, I'd expect the content and tone to be exactly as it was today.
All these factors weighed together led to my opinion.
All these factors weighed together led to my opinion.
(21) Some of you took up my invitation to read my Cmdr Price thread, & if you read the detailed NYT article in it, you'll understand my viewpoint better.
If you've only read this thread so far about VADM Stearney, then you may not realize my professional b/g re coroner reports.
If you've only read this thread so far about VADM Stearney, then you may not realize my professional b/g re coroner reports.
(22) After Stearney was found, the SecDef & POTUS would have been briefed.
If you are doubting the honesty of the head of the Navy's report that foul play is not suspected, then you are also doubting Mattis & Trump. That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion. I trust them.
If you are doubting the honesty of the head of the Navy's report that foul play is not suspected, then you are also doubting Mattis & Trump. That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion. I trust them.
