I hear ya, thanks for the explanation.

I believe what the author is saying because the description of Manning fits spot-on with a handful of drop-outs and still-stragglers from Basic, and based on conversations with a few of my classmates that have were active duty and deployed solidifying my understanding that this description of Manning is exactly what they would've assumed.

The fact that these people I've spoken to, and myself, assumed anyway that this is the kind of soldier Manning was based on our own experiences, is certainly a logical error in itself. There is no evidence that she truly was this way. But the same way I assumed that all the horrible shit Manning leaked was going on anyway, it would be mind-blowing to me if this person's account was not the spot-on truth about Manning.

Being in the Army comes with complaining about insane shit that goes on in the Army a helluva lot more than a civilian complains about the Army. If there was some other shit going on, I'm inclined to believe that this author would probably say so.