More than 1 in 10 Army Recruits Now Given "Moral Waivers"

It has been rumored for some time that the U.S. Army has had to lower its standards to get enough recruits for its expanded war-fighting needs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now firm evidence has emerged, and it is not pretty.

For instance: The percentage of Army recruits receiving "moral conduct" waivers jumped from 4.6 percent in 2003 to 11.2 percent in 2007. Many of them in this group have criminal backgrounds, yet are still allowed in the military, to carry a gun and engage in what is essentially "police work" in Iraq.

Not surprisingly, trouble often follows them in the service. Their rate of misconduct, at 6%, is almost twice the average.

In 2007, almost 10,000 recruits were granted waivers for past misdemeanors. over 2100 for "serious criminal misconduct" -- over four times the 2003 rate - -and almost 1500 for drug or alcohol abuse.

These revelations come in part one of a four-part series starting today in the Sacramento Bee by Russell Carollo, which is also being carried by other McClatchy papers.

Here is an excerpt from that article:

Before Army Sgt. 1st Class Randal Ruby was accused in Iraq of beating prisoners and of conspiring to plant rifles on dead civilians, he amassed a 10-year criminal record documenting assaults on his wife in Colorado and Washington state and a drunken high-speed police chase in Maine for which he remains wanted.

Before Lance Cpl. Delano Holmes stabbed an Iraqi private to death with a bayonet, he was hospitalized after threatening suicide in high school, accused of assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing, and, in the months leading up to deployment, was twice linked to drug use.

Before Army Spc. Shane Carl Gonyon was convicted of stealing a pistol at Abu Ghraib prison, he was convicted twice on felony charges and arrested four times, once for allegedly giving a 13-year-old girl marijuana in exchange for oral sex. He enlisted weeks after his release from a federal prison in Oregon.

During a yearlong examination, the Sacramento Bee studied the civilian and military backgrounds of hundreds of troops identified from recruiting documents and other military records, focusing on those who entered the services since the Iraq war began and those linked to in-service problems.

Though not a representative sample, the 250 military personnel analyzed most closely for "Suspect Soldiers" included 120 with questionable backgrounds, including felonies and serious drug, alcohol or mental health problems.

Risks associated with employing people with criminal histories multiply in a war zone, where a single incident by one soldier or Marine can affect entire units and fuel anti-American sentiment.

Ruby, Holmes and Gonyon were among 70 with troubled pasts whom The Bee linked to incidents in the military, most occurring in Iraq. A number of those incidents were identified for the first time through military records; even in some well-publicized incidents, The Bee uncovered criminal records not previously made public.

Though dozens of these soldiers would not have qualified for law enforcement jobs in this country, the military sent them to Iraq, where troops often function as police officers.

"These guys are out there carrying weapons, fighting on the streets with drugs in their pockets," said Tressie Cox, whose son, Lee Robert, had a history of drug and mental problems before he was charged with selling drugs in Iraq. "Shame on my son, but shame on all you people out there who are policing this and allowing this to continue to happen."

The military defended its recruiting policies, including granting more waivers for past conduct. "Standards in our society have changed over the years; we are a reflection of those changes," said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command. "Considering offering a waiver to otherwise qualified recruits is the right thing to do for those Americans who want to answer the call to duty."
*
Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Fails on Iraq.

Comments

[lisakaz2]

Soooo, they'd learn to plant rifles from their past behavior, huh? From run-ins with police or what? Maybe that "training" comes from elsewhere.

[Pragman]

OMG, some of them have even been linked to...to...DRUG USE?

[Rmtns]

Now here's a shock, during the Viet Nam war, Army recruiters sat in courtrooms waiting for people to be convicted of felonies, then offered an alternative to serving their sentance, to enlist and serve a term in the Army. I know, I was one of them. And I would hae met a much better class of people in prison.

[Lenyon]

Wow this is deep. Ever since the all volunteer army hasde come into existance I feel like politicians are too willing to have the attitude that "well they volunteered they knew what could happen". Men have joined the minitary for the same reason that they did for thousands of years. Poor men looking for food clothing shelter money. Patriotism has alyaws been lower down on the list than the other benefits. Unfortunately for thousands of years the rich and politically affluent have sent the sons of the poor and less valuable people to fight their wars of conquest. On the other hand in this America where the poor and often but not exclusively minority men are poorly educated by design (if you put money behind and demand that teachers know how to teach, not learn how to with poor kids) are often involved in petty and some time more serious criminal offences. when they realize that the consequences are lifelong they can't undo the past so maybe the military is a chance worth taking but not only in wartime.

[clyde44]

The military is SOOOOO racist in its approach to recruiting. Have you all noticed that now, all military commercials(yes, they are selling a product, not offering jobs) end with the face of a dark skinned black or hispanic??? At the same time, they lower the standards for service, cut financial aid for school to the bone, and now are releasing non-violent drug offenders with offers to jion the service. The plan all along was to have poor minorities fighting a war for the rich to benifit from. We are protecting/fighting for rights that we don't have here at home. We are a democracy, but can't protest at a repub event for fear of police brutality/harassment. How can you promote free and open gov'n when we don't have it here?? Where is the model for this??? You can't balance this country for the rich on the backs of the poor becaues, as you can see, the poor aren'y strong enough to hold it up. Any thinking minority should be throughly upset at this attempted genicide of young minority males by our gov't( the face of crime although always at the low end of the totem pole and not owning any planes or boats)...Conspracy anyone????

[klmebane]

"Considering offering a waiver to otherwise qualified recruits is the right thing to do for those Americans who want to answer the call to duty."

this quote really amuses me. we can give people waivers for having committed ACTUAL CRIMES, but openly gay men and women can't serve, with or without a criminal record.

[chucktrotter]

Back in the '60s recruiters had a slogan:
"Nine to ninety, blind , crippled or crazy...we'll enlist 'em!" Any port in a storm. After we have finely honed their skills, how does civilian society deal with their return to the U.S.? Of course...They, then, "Protect and Serve" us.

[LorettaSingbiel]

Risks associated with employing people with criminal histories multiply in a war zone, where a single incident by one soldier or Marine can affect entire units and fuel anti-American sentiment.

The military defended its recruiting policies, including granting more waivers for past conduct. "Standards in our society have changed over the years; we are a reflection of those changes".

(But recruiting GAYS would "undermine unit cohesion!?")

[AzRealProgressive]

This is wrong it is surreal. Soldiers are not policemen. A criminal record in many cases only means someone was stupid when they were young and thought they knew it all.

Anyone here for rehabilitation? A criminal record then must exclude a person from any meaningful employment anywhere in society because of the associated risks, correct?

Marines have always dealt with those imperfects.

Many of those imperfects died in the service of their country so your ignorance could be read by others here.

[spiderbucket]

"Best and Brightest."

[USMarine1171]

And despite the number of criminal background waivers; the US military still has a higher percentage of servicemembers with a diploma compared to the US population. Some 98% of the military possesses a diploma, while only 80% of the general population does.

Typical media coverage to highlight the most extreme negative stories with no coverage of the many US servicemembers who have waivers and continue to serve honorably.

[johnie2xs]

The point missed is not that there is no credit given to those who serve honorably, with or without a criminal record, it is that our government has prosecuted a "Bad War" that has required them to go to this degree to man our military. Going by the way this administration has treated it Vets, during these conflicts, it is unmistakably evident that our service personnel are nothing more than pawns in an Imperialistic mindset, and nothing less than fodder for the cannon.
Keep this in mind, also. It is universally agreed, no matter in which camp you sit, that the MSM has been derelict in their duty to inform, on this there is much common ground. But this particular issue is just one of a plethora of many that point up the missteps of our Legislative and Military leaders. We deserved better.

[DonKrieger]

The Dirty Dozen:

This is part of our larger problem which has forced us to use civilian contractors extensively in Iraq. Where is the honor in paying "soldiers of fortune" to go in harm's way, or in using financial intimidation to induce the poor, disadvantaged, and disenfranchised to enlist.

As a nation, we are mighty, but we have vastly overreached our justifiable capabilities. This is a disgrace.

Don

[recruitgal]

This kind of stuff is well known, and is why I cringe a little everytime some talks about honoring the troops like it's a blanket policy that can never be questioned. The army is made up of individuals - and some of them are idiots as demonstrated in this article.

However, for every moron who joins the services so he can play at being Rambo, there are others who find the military a place to reinvent themselves in a more positive light, and develop skills they might not otherwise have the chance to.

So let's not write someone off because they've made some mistakes in the past Equally let's come down hard on people that act dishonorably when in uniform. The existance of these individuals in the armed forces does a disservice to the men and women who do serve honorably.

[LCRover001]

Don't really see the problem here.

Once upon a time judges gave law breakers a choice between jail time and joining up to repay their debt to society. Their thinking was that maybe the military could put them back on the right track.

My brother-in-law made a stupid mistake. Afterward he could not get any sort of good job. Although I think the war in Iraq is BS, I did think that the military was his best option. Not only did it get him away from the bad situation he was in concerning his home life, it also got him away from the negative influences of his "friends", it will also providing him with training to become what ever he wants to be, and giving him the positive reinforcement he has needed for so long.

I believe this is a good thing for those who have ended up on the wrong side of the law and those who voice their opinion against it are doing so more out of distaste for the war than thinking of the positives that could come from it.

Jails only make one time offenders more hardened criminals, gives repeat offenders a place to gain more ideas to commit crimes and because of the scarlet letters convictions place on them they will not be able to find meaning full employment afterward, which drives them back to the only option they have left for survival, crime.

[TAC]

"I believe this is a good thing for those who have ended up on the wrong side of the law and those who voice their opinion against it are doing so more out of distaste for the war than thinking of the positives that could come from it."

Our military is not rehab for misfits and losers. They SHOULD be people of high moral character...

[LCRover001]

Our military should be open to all and any who want to serve.

Not all have the opportunity to be raised in environments were they have positive role models or influences.

The Military can provide that to some of these people who need direction and positive influence.

In the military they can gain trades, discipline, even morals and see that there is more to life than crime.

Who exactly decides what High moral character is? What exactly does high moral character have to do with anything really? Morals are a mater of public opinion and differ from culture to culture.

Funny how teens can be sent to military like camps to be rehabilitated, yet adults should be out cast, pushed into the darkness or buried behind stone walls and barbwire for mistakes or bad decisions. Let the military make better people of them.

No one should be excluded if they want to serve.

[johnie2xs]

Look a little deeper and further than the end of your own nose. The time to which you are referring, whereby the choice was given for military service, was for the most part during a benign period (sociologically speaking) between the Korean conflict and Viet Nam. And the people this option was afforded to were predominately first time offenders either in, or just out of, their teens, not multiple offenders with felonious backgrounds. Now I am in agreement with you on the lack of usefulness of incarceration as a means of correcting criminal behavior, but that is entirely another subject altogether. Don't confuse the two.
There is the additional point that specifically during a time of "War" (Another separate issue), that by arming individuals, with a propensity for mayhem, in a stressful combat situation cannot be seen as anything other than a prescription for disaster.
One more thing. It's bad enough that the disadvantaged do the fighting for the anointed, do we really need to potentially supply them with questionable mentoring?

[Rmtns]

Yeah, the Army taught me a trade. I can destroy virtually anything with "Improvised explosives, made with common every day, easily obtainable materials, and I can shoot well enough to make a kill at 1500 meters. I'm so glad I have these skills, they have made it so easy to find employment in the civilian sector!

[majorteddy]

The whole Bush-Cheney-McCain crowd needs a moral waver!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DuPageDem]

Seems they got one, when the Supremes annointed our Liar-In-Chief back in '00.

[Rmtns]

They got one, They never served!

[Wilburrr]

hmmmm.... the number of sitting U.S. presidents requiring 'moral waivers' has jumped from 0 to 100%. Coincidence?

[helloboyd]

The military should take 'all comers.' If uneducated; educate them . If undisciplined;discipline them.
Put each marginal recruit in a position commensurate with his/her disability. Let the military do something positive and keep reprobates off the streets.

[pakaal]

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been reporting on radical white supremacists who've been able to enter the military under the relaxed rules, this has been going on for a few years now at least.

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=664

You know it can't be helping matters to have some racist soldiers ruining the hearts and minds strategy across Iraq, but what a comfort it is to know it can't last forever, and those boys will be coming home well-trained.

[mairs]

They're also offering people facing felony charges the alternative of enlisting. The article doesn't mention that. I know a man who's son escaped a serious felony charge of attempted murder by taking them up on their offer.

[peacekitten]

it just never ends with this administration.