Some of you may have heard about the two Maersk SEAL OD deaths. If you have not, two ex-SEALs were found dead on the Maersk Alabama, a shipping vessel Somali pirates tried to hijack in 2009 and was the basis for the movie “Captain Philips.”
Immediately, the Internet cried out, “Conspiracy!” But was it?
Drug addiction is a growing concern for our military veterans. Combine with the stresses of their jobs, the toll active military service takes on their families, readjusting to civilian life, and the lack of many job opportunities and/or services upon return have driven many to seek chemical relief.
Add on top of that being in one of the most prestigious special operations groups in the world, continued isolation at sea, and ludicrous amounts of heroin coming out of Afghanistan, it is not unreasonable to consider their deaths as legitimate overdoses.
While it was Navy SEAL snipers who pulled off the near-simultaneous three head-shots, from three marksmen, on two different sea craft, in churning ocean waters…this makes little difference. The ex-SEALs who died this past week are not thought to be among those three snipers—it just so happens that they, too, were SEALs. We might not ever know, either, because the identities of those snipers have never been made public.
At the same time, sure, they might have been two of the three snipers, but there is no way to tell for sure, especially with a group as secretive as the SEALs. Statistically, it is far more likely that the former SEALs who recently died on the Maersk Alabama were not the snipers who took out the pirates.
Further, even if the two in question were amongst those snipers, it is far more likely that their deaths were legitimate overdoses rather than part of some cover-up. The Maersk Alabama was not a military operation—it was a unique situation that required expertise that could only be found and exercised by the US military. There was no intelligence to keep guarded, and the incident could not have gone much better for the Americans.
Additionally, heroin laced with fentanyl has been responsible for a huge number of overdoses in past months. It is entirely possible that the two SEALs were unlucky enough to get some of that. Even still, as the vast majority of people know, heroin on its own is frighteningly deadly.
One part is a little strange, though. The current trend recently has been for people to get prescription pain pills, develop an addiction, and transition to heroin once the script or money runs out. Private security companies—and especially former SEALs at such companies—make a considerable amount more than they do in active duty. It seems strange that two people who would have easy access and valid claims for such meds would opt for something more risky such as heroin while travelling through international ports when a more legal and consistent product would be within their means.
All that being said and done, though, the fact remains that this is a tragedy. There is nothing that really suggests anything other than what any other addict faces on a given day: that any day could be our last.
Maersk SEAL OD Deaths/h3>
What is your take? Can anything be done to help more of our veterans suffering from addiction? Let us know in the comments!