Defending the Truth

How far will U.S. Army recruiters go to bring young men and women into their ranks? An Arvada West High School senior recently decided to find out. The following is CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger's report..

ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) -- Last month the U.S. Army failed to meet its goal of 6,800 new troops.

Aware of this trend, David McSwane, a local high school student, decided he wanted to find out to what extent some recruiters would go to sign up soldiers who were not up to grade.

McSwane, 17, is actually just the kind of teenager the military would like. He's a high school journalist and honor student at Arvada West High School. But McSwane decided he wanted to see "how far the Army would go during a war to get one more solider."

McSwane contacted his local army recruiting office in Golden with a scenario he created. He told a recruiter that he was a dropout and didn't have a high school diploma.

"No problem," the recruiter explained. He suggested that McSwane create a fake diploma from a non-existent school.

McSwane recorded the recruiter saying that on the phone.

"It can be like Faith Hill Baptist School or something -- whatever you choose," the recruiter said.

As instructed, McSwane went on the computer to a Web site and for $200 arranged to have a phony diploma created that certified him as a graduate of Faith Hill Baptist High School, the very name the recruiter suggested. It came complete with a fake grade transcript.

"What was your reaction to them encouraging you to get a phony diploma?" CBS4's Rick Sallinger asked.

"I was shocked," McSwane said. "I'm sitting there looking at a poster that says 'Integrity, Honor, Respect' and he is telling me to lie."

McSwane also pretended he had a drug problem when he spoke with the recruiter.

The Army does not accept enlistees with drug problems.

"I have a problem with drugs," McSwane said, referring to the conversation he had with the recruiter. "I can't kick the habit ... just marijuana."

"[The recruiter] said 'Not a problem,' just take this detox ... he said he would pay half of it ... told me where to go."

Drug testers CBS4 contacted insist it doesn't work, but the recruiter claimed in another recorded phone conversation that taking "detoxification capsules and liquid" would help McSwane pass the required test.

"The two times I had the guys use it, it has worked both times," the recruiter said in the recorded conversation. "We didn't have to worry about anything."

Then the original recruiter was transferred and another recruiter, Sgt. Tim Pickel, picked up the ball.

A friend of McSwane shot videotape as Pickel drove McSwane to a store where he purchased the so-called detox kit.

CBS4 then went to the Army recruiting office and confronted Sgt. Pickel. CBS4 played him a conversation McSwane had with Pickel on the phone. The transcript of that conversation follows:

Pickel: When you said about the one problem that you had, what does it consist of?
McSwane: "Marijuana."
Pickel: Oh, OK so nothing major?
McSwane: Yeah, he said he would take me down to get that stuff, I mean I have no idea what it is, so you would have to show me. Is that a problem?
Pickel: No, not at all.

Pickel quickly referred CBS4 to his superiors.

CBS4 then played the tapes and showed the video to Lt. Col. Jeffrey Brodeur, who heads army recruiting for the region.

"Let me sum up all of this with one word: unacceptable, completely unacceptable," Brodeur said.

Hearing recruiters talking about phony diplomas and ways to beat drug tests left Brodeur more than a little disturbed.

"Let me tell you something sir, I'm a soldier and have been a soldier for 20 years," Brodeur said. "This violates trust, it violates integrity, it violates honor and it violates duty."

The army says it is conducting a full investigation. Brodeur said there is no pressure or punishment for recruiters if quotas are not met. They are, however, rewarded when their goals are surpassed.

CBS4 Video:

Watch Rick Sallinger's Investigates Report

Full Interview With Lt. Col. Jeffrey Brodeur (8 Minutes)

Additional Resources:

The U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Denver office released the following press release on April 29 in relation to this case:

Yesterday the Denver Army Recruiting Battalion took action against two Army recruiters for alleged impropriety. One recruiter is suspended from recruiting until completion of the investigation. The other recruiter, who was in transition to a new duty location, is being called back to the area for the investigation and is also not recruiting.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Brodeur, Denver Army Recruiting Battalion commander, said: "We began conducting an investigation immediately upon finding out about the allegations made toward these recruiters and are required to complete the investigation within 30 days.

"Recruiter misconduct is not acceptable and it violates honor, duty and trust.

"The Army takes a very serious approach to proper enlistment procedure and integrity. All allegations are investigated. We do not tolerate unprofessional behavior and our stringent guidelines for policing the recruiting force is evidence of that commitment."


http://news4colorado.com/localnews/l...118125046.html

thats terreble

and we have a lack of conservatives here... what a surprise

I'm not going to even waste my time with you on this one. But, if you wish.. I will.

I do wish. What do you think of this?
It is probably a widespread problem as recruiting goals aren't met.

That sort of behavior undermines everything that the military will ever try to teach to a person about honor and integrity. I have been in the Navy for the past 8 years, because I love where I live, and the values I was raised by. I am not a fan of our president, as may be obvious from some of my other posts, but I am a Huge fan of our country. One of the things you cannot have a civilization without is Integrity.
I am ashamed every time our leaders or armed forces members do things like this. This (a little thing as it may be, when viewed in comparison to starting a war under false pretenses) erodes at the very core of the principles that I serve to defend.
Also, we are not the only ones who notice this sort of thing. The eyes of the world are on us, charting our every move. When we step out of line, it only serves to give them one less reason to trust us.

So is your spelling of terrible...

As a graduate of Navy Recruiting , please let me be the first to say that this recruiter is by far and away the exception to the rule, at least with the phony diploma thing. We, as recruiters, will target some of the brighter high school drop outs, who have potential. But we do not forge diplomas, we help them study and provide them with guides to get thier GEDs.

As far a beating a drug test goes, yes most any recruiter will help you do what you can to get drugs out of your system. But I do not see anything wrong with this. You explain to the recruit that the military has a zero tolerance policy on drug use, and that if they are caught once they are in they will be discharged in an other than honorable status. But helping them get clean, so that they can turn over a new leaf and begin thier new life of service to country, in my mind is very honorable. In amany cases you are helping this kid get off the street, out of the ghetto, and on to a better life. I see no wrong in that. It's not cheating the urinalysis, because quite simply, that's impossible. What it is, is helping someone to clean up thier act.

What it is... is helping someone scam a test to help dropping recruitment rates. The military is desperate.

No no, the ARMY is desperate. The Navy is downsizing and the Marines are very selective. The Army is trying to grow a lot, real quick.

I still don't think it's scaming the test, it's preparing for it. There is no way to scam a military urinalysis. I am a Navy urinalysis coordinator, our tests are as close to fool proof as possible.