You do not have to show up here is why:
This story was first telecast on November 8, 1999 and November 9, 1999 and has not been updated.
The United States has an all-volunteer military signing up 180,000 enlistees and 15,000 officers every year. But with a booming economy and high number of young adults who want to attend college, finding those enlistees is getting tougher and tougher. Recruiting costs are soaring and nearly every branch of service is struggling to meet their recruiting goals.
An I-Team investigation found this high-pressure climate is creating problems. Investigative reporter Dale Russell and the I-Team spent five months investigating what happens to young applicants who sign up for the military then have a change of heart. We traveled throughout the Southeast talking to teenagers, parents, military recruiters and counselors. Our investigation found when young men and women changed their minds, they say military recruiters intimidated, threatened, and even outright lied to them in an effort to bully them into enlisting.
Delayed Entry Program
Most recruits enter the military through the Delayed Entry Program. Applicants, many of them still in high school, sign up for the military but delay their enlistment for weeks, months, even up to a year. The important word here is DELAY. They're not yet in the military.
But most of the young recruits we talked with thought they were in the military. After all, they had taken an aptitude test, a physical and an oath. They even signed a document that warned of consequences if they don't show up for boot camp. The enlistment document says recruits will be ordered into "active duty reserves" if they fail to report on their enlistment date. But the I-Team has found that's not true.
Recruiting policy for all branches of the military clearly states applicants who change their mind are simply released from their commitment. There is no dishonorable discharge, no punishment, no reserve duty.
Change of Heart
Policy is one thing, but what really happens when a recruit changes his or her mind? Our investigation found teenagers claiming recruiters use heavy-handed tactics, including threats and lies to convince applicants to enlist, applicants like Kristen Harrell and Robert Powell.
Kristen Harrell signed up for the Navy, but changed her mind when she became the only breadwinner in her family. With a sick grandmother and an unemployed father, she told her recruiter she couldn't go. Instead of releasing her, Kristen says her recruiters told her she would be given a dishonorable discharge, she would never be able to get another job, that the government would blacklist her, and that the sheriff would come out to her house to pick her up.
Robert Powell and his mother say they heard virtually the same threats. After spending several months in the Delayed Entry Program, he earned a scholarship to college and decided not to enlist in the Navy. He says his recruiter called him a sissy, threatened to arrest him and told him he would lose all of his government scholarship money. His mother couldn't believe the way government recruiters treated her and her son.
Quaker House
Kristen and Robert didn't know their rights. They say no one from the military told them. So, they turned to the Internet for answers and found the Quaker House and the GI Rights Network, a counseling program designed to teach young soldiers their rights. Phil Esmond of the Quaker House says he is hearing more and more claims of threats, lies and intimidation from kids in the Delayed Entry Program. Esmond says it's happening nationwide and in every branch of the military.
Recruiters
To research this story, the I-Team talked to a number of both active duty and retired recruiters. We spent several days with Marine and Navy recruiters, watching them in action. We found dedicated, even passionate advocates for what a military career can do for many young men and woman. Every recruiter told us that they are horrified by the stories we had heard. Marine Major Chip Williams put it simply: "Intimidation, threats, outright lies are against the hallmark and the traits of being a Marine."
But the former recruiters we spoke to said lies and threats by recruiters have been going on for years. Master Chief Petty Officer Don Holland and Lt. Carl Nyberg recruited for the Navy during four different decades. Both say it is commonplace for recruiters to lie to applicants who change their minds. Nyberg says simply: "It's done to trick and intimidate the person into (enlisting). It's told to somebody who doesn't have access to a lawyer, or a strong family network. It's an intimidation and lying technique targeted to the most vulnerable applicants."
And many recruiters we talked to explained why a recruiter would treat a young adult this way. Recruiters say tremendous pressure is put on them, through the chain of command, to meet quotas. They say failure to meet a quota could derail a recruiter's career or ruin his chance at a choice assignment. Enough pressure, some recruiters say, to force good honest service men to lie.
Former Lt. Carl Nyberg, who investigated recruiting abuses in Chicago, says: "The corruption is so thoroughly institutionalized in recruiting, it would take congressional hearings just to make a dent in cleaning things up."
Recommendations For Young Military Applicants
A strong military is vital to our country's health. Volunteers are needed. A military career can be the perfect choice for many young Americans who want to serve their country, pay for college or begin a career. So, what should a young man or woman do when they sign up in the Delayed Entry Program. Here is what experts in the field recommend:
Read all the paper work your recruiter gives you very carefully. Make sure you understand everything you are signing.
Know your rights. You are making a commitment to join, a commitment that the military takes seriously. You should take it seriously also. But, you do have the right to change your mind.
If you have a change of heart, talk it over with your recruiter. It may be a simple concern that your recruiter can solve for you. But, if you are certain the military is not for you, write a letter to the commanding officer explaining why you do not wish to enlist. That is all you need to do.
If your recruiter intimidates or threatens you, take action on your own. Remember: you will not be blacklisted by the government. You will not be dishonorably discharged. The FBI or local sheriff will not arrest you. You will not lose any government grants. You do not have to repay any money. If you hear any of these lies from a recruiter, report them immediately to his commanding officer.
This story was reported by Dale Russell, produced by Mindy Larcom, photographed by Travis Shields, and edited by Chris Dixon. If you have any story ideas, please e-mail Dale Russell at
[email protected] or call him at 404-898-0109.
I-TEAM TIP LINE: 404-898-0242
