The 21-year-old’s parents told recruiters their son has a bipolar disorder and was fresh out of a three-week commitment in a psychiatric facility. But, reports the NYT, he was “all set to be shipped to boot camp, and perhaps Iraq … before senior officers found out and canceled the enlistment.”
“The problem is that no one wants to join,” the recruiter said. “We have to play fast and loose with the rules just to get by.”
So, just who is fighting for our country these days?
More from the New York Times, reprinted at Truthout:
The recruiters insisted on anonymity to avoid being disciplined, but their accounts were consistent, and the specifics were verified in several cases by documents and interviews with military officials and applicants’ families.
Yesterday, the issue drew national attention as CBS News reported that a high-school student outside Denver recorded two recruiters as they advised him how to cheat. The student, David McSwane, said one recruiter had told him how to create a diploma from a nonexistent school, while the other had helped him buy a product to cleanse traces of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms from his body. The Army said the recruiters had been suspended while it investigated. …
“while the other had helped him buy a product to cleanse traces of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms from his body…”
That’s what guys on parole do for their periodic drug tests. (I knew some when I worked for a criminal defense attorney.)
My daughter used to work at a natural foods store, and the store sold LOADS of that stuff at a hefty mark-up. Not sure it works all that well either. It’s simply shocking that recruiters would recommend such methods.
One week in boot would eliminate any need for any drug other than caffeine. I’d be more concerned about their lack of education.
It comes to that. What so many people yelled so loud about last year. I think support could be grown for legislation democrats introduced in both houses in ’03: the “Universal National Service Act of 2003” [108th, S.89 & H.R. 163, 7 Jan ’03].
“(b) FORM OF NATIONAL SERVICE – National service under this Act shall be performed either—
(1) as a member of an active or reserve component of the uniformed services; or
(2) in a civilian capacity that, as determined by the President, promotes the national defense, including national or community service and homeland security.”
I don’t remember hearing anything about the bill, and maybe that was by design. In January ’03 all eyes were looking towards Iraq’s “WMD”. Where was the concept in the last election? Buried under an avalanche of negative campaigning by both sides.
The idea is something we talked about in a barracks in North Dakota in ’66. It’s been raised periodically over the years, but always viewed as politically incorrect.
Maybe it’s time to look farther down the road, past the current administration by a few decades. The bracket is 18-26 year-olds. Everybody gets, everybody gives a little. Besides, when we take over congress in ’06, and the WH in ’08, we’ll have plenty of money after we shitcan the tax cuts and “faith-based” programs.
I understand the great concern of hiding medical records – particularly if the medical condition could create an unstable environment for others. . .but what I don’t get is this (and maybe some folks out there who have served in the military can explain this to me)
In the mid to late 70s (and perhaps beyond) if someone got into trouble with the law they had a choice of going to prison or enlisting in the military. (I remember this specifically from incidents involving friends who got busted with weed)
Let’s just say I don’t recall any of them lasting too long in boot camp.
So – what has changed in the dynamics of the past few decades?
An officer corps made up of neo-fascist “Christian” fanactics leading a group of metally unstable criminals. And I thought the military was looney-tunes when I served back in the ’80s.
I’ll sleep well tonight. Now where’s that bottle . . . .