Teen Fools Army

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How Far Will The Army Go?

Apr 28, 2005 9:59 pm US/Mountain
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, Part I

Watch Rick Sallinger's Investigates Report, Part II

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."


CBS4 Video:

Meeting Mission: Recruiter Says He Was Fired For Quota Failure

Military Command Responds To Investigation

Watch Rick Sallinger's Investigates Report, Part I

Watch Rick Sallinger's Investigates Report, Part II

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

Ah man, this is long.

Am I suppose to read all of this?

Can you sumarize for lazy people like myself?

Give me a one paragraph resume of it so I get a clue.

Sounds interesting. Wish I wasn't lazy. Then I would already know what the story is about.

Hummmm.

No, I prefer to wait until someone summarize it.

Wow. I don't know whether to be amazed, stunned, or disturbed. I'm all 3. Of all the people in this world, it's a recruiter for the army that outright lies like that. Jeez.

Enh. I read it after all.

Sounds like that Michael Moore documentary about Bush and America's wars. And how they recruit poor uneducated kids.

Didn't learn anything.

Good for people who haven't seen Moore's documentaries but if you haven't seen his docs, then you are much lazier then me.

And if you are lazier then me. I admire you. Wish I could be that lazy!

I admire you FendeR'. You haven't seen Moore's documentary, Farheinheit 911. You really are lazy. Much more than me. I have to admire that!

^Maybe not everyone gives a fuck about that fat guy's opinions?

Bah, I'm not surprised. Corruption goes in the military just as much as it goes in the government, the police force, etc. etc.

^Maybe not everyone gives a fuck about that fat guy's opinions?

lol, just disregard his posts :\

^Maybe not everyone gives a fuck about that fat guy's opinions?

That was kind of boring actually...well at the first part at least. I saw it on video somewhere. Never bothered finishing it.

^Maybe not everyone gives a fuck about that fat guy's opinions?

so if he wasnt fat, you would listen to him?
considering he was born and lives in the fattest country in the world, he's more american than you.

I'm very tired of everyone bashing Michale Moore. He has an opinion, and then puts together months of research and hard work to prove his points, and gets blacklisted for it. He's not trying to slam the US, hes trying to help the uninformed make informed decisions.

I hope he continues his career and if/when the US pulls its troops out of iraq and do not immediately invade another country, he makes a new film answering questions that not enough people are asking.

Stuff that bothers me is why did the us invade iraq? Bush says they are ridding the world of terrorist, yet the Sept 11th terrorist were from Saudi Arabia and afganistan, while iraq has never attacked the US. And why doesnt Bush still care about looking for bin laden?

If the US is so keen on "peacekeeping" in other countries, shouldt they at least take care of themselves first? The poverty rates are consistently around 12-15%, always spend money on weapons and technology to fight in combat, but spend much less money on education and technology to improve health care.

Drug usage and homicide is continually on the rise, yet the number of police is limited by the shitty income for putting your life on the line, yet they spend money and use congress to interview baseball players about steroids.

The US government seems to forget that their power should be used to improve the country they govern, not everyone else.

Anybody else feel this way, or is it just me? Feel free to debate, I'll keep it going

I agree with you, Kevin.

Moore recieved a lot of criticism, especially from the Republicans and right wingers. I've seen both Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, and while I found Fahrenheit to be a little weak compared to Bowling for Columbine, it shows footage that should not be ignored, no matter how much people try to say Moore "twisted it" or "exaggerated." There were real people and real emotions involved, and Moore really makes us think about the current situation in the States that we may not be aware of. I realize Moore is making a quick buck with his ideas, but he's passionate about defending his beliefs, as well as many other left wing supporters. At least he's doing it for a good cause: To question and to be critical minded about what is going on in the US.

I don't like that Michael Moore does use some creative editing to emphasise some of the points he makes in his documentaries, or the fact that he sometimes ropes celebrities into his causes where they're either supporting him or blindly supporting the opposition to his point of view.

I also don't agree with the "If you don't agree with my way of thinking, you're a brainwashed ignorant fool" school of thought that seems to exist; to me, it's just as bad as the "If you don't support the war, you're unpatriotic/a terrorist" point of view. I'm not convinced Moore is being satirical when he expresses those sentiments, likewise when he claims questions about the accuracy of his information and validity of some his points are part of a conspiracy against him.

But even though I don't agree with everything he says or the way in which he conducts himself in some cases, I don't completely disagree with everything he says and I admire his willingness to exercise his right to freedom of speech, to question and to be critical minded as cyanide put it.

well put Andrew. you pretty much summed up how I feel about him and his work

^Maybe not everyone gives a fuck about that fat guy's opinions?

so if he wasnt fat, you would listen to him?
considering he was born and lives in the fattest country in the world, he's more american than you.

Location: Sweden

my bad, i just remember him being the one in the army, and considering the only counrty to invade a country recently...was not sweden

I'm sure they're planning something though.

so if he wasnt fat, you would listen to him?

Offcourse not, I was just joking with the fatso part, but I still don't see it as something compulsory to watch his documentary just because it happends to to get some awards or whatever.

considering he was born and lives in the fattest country in the world, he's more american than you.

Well I really hope so

I'm sure they're planning something though.

his documentaries made some good points but weren't all that great, don't know how they got rave reviews from hippies.

I enjoyed watching some of his older stuff, because he makes his point, and it's usually in some quite hilarious manner. The newer stuff is a bit gruesome but it really hits its point home. Obviously, like Andrew said, Michael is pretty much the same as the people he is attacking but on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. But it's often easier to believe his stuff than what the gov is saying, because they lie so often and you never know if what the media is telling is true. The best way to go is gather information from a variety of sources, and form your own opinion. Try not to be swayed by either side, whether it's Bush or Moore or anyone.