Major Jill's Metzger's Temporary Disability Retirement is probably not resulting from sympathy, compassion, or pity.

It isn’t USAF Major Jill Metzger’s forthcoming 18-month leave, administrative separation, Temporary Disability Retirement, Permanent Disability Retirement or whatever it is that is inconsistent with my moral compass, it is that such approved action is bringing with it too much nondisclosure that is breeding distrust and loss of confidence all are equally subjected to the same code of conduct and standards of behavior and performance. Duty, honor, integrity, courage, warrior creed is preached constantly by the Air Force’s top leadership, but their actions in approving an 18-months leave administrative separation, Temporary Disability Retirement, Permanent Disability Retirement or whatever is contrary to the virtues and warrior way these same leaders claim to expect of themselves and of all who are uniformed enlisted and commissioned members of the United States Air Force. These leaders expect compliance with rules and standards, but apparently all military members are not equally subjected to accountability and responsibility for not conforming to the expectations of laws, rules, and policies of conduct, behavior, and performance.

Major Jill Metzger explained her unauthorized absence that began on September 5, 2006 while deployed to MANAS AB, KYRGYZSTAN resulted from being captured and held captive by kidnappers. Her explanation for how her unauthorized absence ended on to September 8, 2006 is she escaped after overpowering one of her male abductors. During a 74-hour period Major Jill Metzger claims being tortured, abused, and starved sufficiently to loose about 15% of her normal body weight, dropping from her normal weight of 107 pounds to 90 pounds.

Major Jill Metzger’s explanation of kidnapping and escape includes opposing extremes of behavior adjustment when confronted with certainly-so probability of significant painful traumatic injury if not death. Her behavior response when suddenly finding a bomb and note either in her back pants pocket or pack back was the spontaneous loss of free-will and autonomy to the point she became docile and unquestioning compliant to the directions, instructions and orders of her captures. When presented with an escape opportunity, her behavior response after being tortured, abused, and losing 15% of her normal body weight was the spontaneous gaining of cunning, viciousness, and extraordinary strength of character that was nonexistent in her personality during her capture. Major Jill Metzger claims she overpowered one of her male captors with such quickness no alarm was given to others during the struggle and the thoroughness of her attack left her opponent completely unable to sound alarm of her escape as she was escaping her immediate area of detainment.

Major Metzger at the time of her disappearance was described as being in excellent health and athletic fitness and considering AFI 10-250 INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL READINESS stipulates members of the Air Force must be medically ready for worldwide deployment to deploy to locations such as (and most certainly-so) MANAS AB, KYRGYZSTAN, it is reasonable to expect and believe Major Jill Metzger had excellent health and athletic fitness on September 5, 2006.

Thus if Major Jill Metzger is being put on the Temporary Disabled Retired List effective July 2007; the two most reasonable conclusions concerning her 30% or greater debilitating medical condition are: it was incurred during her three day unexplained unauthorized absence; or, it existed for many months prior to her going missing, perhaps even preexisting her initial entry into active military service.

If Major Jill Metzger’s disabling medical conditions are direct results of what happened to her during her unauthorized absence and/or missing status from September 5, 2006 to September 8, 2006, then two laws governing all military personnel, USC Title 10, chapter 61--RETIREMENT OR SEPARATION FOR PHYSICAL DISABILITY and/or USC Title 10, Chapter 76-MISSING PERSONS direct board of inquiry be established to look into the whereabouts and status of Major Jill Metzger during the period from September 5, 2006 to September 8, 2006. Considering the substantial probability of Major Metzger’s own personal convictable misconduct or willful neglect, Major Metzger is ineligible for processing for disability retirement evaluation until all inquiry is completed and a line of duty determination has been made.

If potentially debilitating medical conditions preexisted her June 2006 arrival at MANAS AB, KYRGYZSTAN, the worsening of her debilitating medical conditions were either triggered during her 3-day unauthorized absence or her debilitating medical conditions began becoming noticeable worse after she deployed to Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan. Why did she avoid seeking medical treatment for her rapidly worsening ailments and discomforts? If manifestation of her disabling medical condition was rapidly changing for the worse, how were the deteriorating or worsening medical condition changes effecting her daily behavior and daily job performance and if her deteriorating or worsening health was impacting her daily behavior and daily job performance how was this not noticed by coworkers and supervisors?

If intentional misconduct or willful neglect is mitigated by a chronic long time existing loss of mental or emotional fitness the culpability resulting from incompetence extends to her supervisors and medical care providers who failed to either refer her to the proper medical care or to provide proper medical care prior to her deployment to Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan or during her deployment at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan.

Yes—the laws, rules, and standards are relatively clear and straightforward, so simple a caveman is capable of understanding, yet the Air Force’s top leadership is either incapable or unwilling to make an effort to learn and evaluate the relevant facts and then subsequently conduct an inquiry that will result either in judgments and conclusions being made with certainty or in judgments and conclusions having the force of probability behind them. A chapter 61 temporary or permanent Disability Retirement cannot be given by law until a line-of-duty inquiry is completed into the possibility of intentional misconduct and willful neglect. When it comes to disability rating why are some combat wounded veterans subjugated to mindless mechanical following of the rules and many delays in getting final determination of their disability rating and a non-combatant such as Jill Metzger be given exception to the rules and speedy processing for a disability retirement she lacks eligibility to be processed for?

There is a chain-of-complicity and a chain-of-events lacking accountability combined with the lack of appropriate intervention that entangles her immediate supervisors and her immediate chain of command. The minimal effort to comply with laws, rules, and standards is not resulting predominantly from sympathy, compassion, or pity. The missing status or unauthorized leave status of Major Jill Metzger during the period from September 5, 2006 to September 8, 2006 shouldn’t remain an unsolved mystery or unsolved case if Major Jill Metzger is being processed for and is to receive a disability retirement.