Some soldiers claim they did nothing illegal and are being made scapegoats for a recruiting program the Army admits was badly mismanaged from the start. Master Sergeant Jerry Wilson is one of the , soldiers who fell under investigation.
Last year, he walked into Adams County Courthouse in Colorado charged with felony theft for the bonuses he received from the recruiting assistance program. A combat veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star, Wilson had been in the Army for 21 years, most of it as a Green Beret. Now he was facing four to 12 years in prison after the Army's Criminal Investigation Division concluded he was "not entitled to any" of the bonus money he received for soldiers who joined the Colorado National Guard.
David Martin: We've talked to your lawyer and she said it looked like a strong case. When she first saw it she was worried. Jerry Wilson: No, 'cause I thought I was innocent. I mean why would I go to court and put myself through everything I put myself through if I didn't think I was innocent. Gary Cheek: We had a program with the best of intentions, but unfortunately it was poorly designed.
We left ourselves vulnerable to fraud. According to Lt. Gary Cheek: When you zero in on the time that this program was initiated in the Army was under a lot of stress. We were fighting in two wars. The National Guard was 20, soldiers under strength and attempting to grow. David Martin: So, what's the practical impact of having the National Guard be short 20, soldiers?
The Recruiting Assistance Program was considered, in the words of this National Guard publication, " Gary Cheek: The only metric we were tracking was success. How many soldiers are we recruiting? This is a big mistake in running a program like this.
David Martin: How long did it take the Guard to get back to the strength it was supposed to be at? David Martin: So, if the problem's pretty much solved by , why does this bonus program keep running until ? Gary Cheek: And the answer is they probably should've reviewed it and considered, terminating it. Jim Root: When I enlisted, they were promoting this like no tomorrow, wanting everybody to participate in this program.
And there was never once a conversation about, "this program is under investigation for fraud. You should stay away from this program. Four years later, Root was indicted for "unlawfully, feloniously and knowingly" claiming recruiting bonuses he did not deserve.
He insisted he was innocent. David Martin: But that must have been a tempting deal. Which is a heck of a lot less than you're gonna end up paying in legal fees. Jim Root: There was a lot of sleepless nights. I actually had thought about.
Excuse me. The heartache. My family faced through this process was very tempting, at times, to throw in the towel and say, "Enough is enough. In , the Army cancelled the Recruiting Assistance Program and set up a special unit of 60 full-time agents to investigate every one of those , soldiers who received bonuses.
Its name: Task Force Raptor. Over , soldiers have been cleared with more than 4, still under investigation. Flora Darpino: Once we discovered or believed that soldiers had taken advantage of the program to commit criminal misconduct we were gonna fully investigate it. Flora Darpino: When it comes to crime it isn't really about the cost of what it takes to investigate. It's making sure that people are held accountable for criminal misconduct. And that's why we investigate.
David Martin: The Army National Guard spends seven years exhorting its soldiers to serve as part-time recruiters. And then it turns around and puts them all under investigation. That's an about face. Consuelo Spears at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. For more information on the bonus, call extension , or go to: www.
Retirees also can call their local Army recruiting station or contact their local Retiree Services Office. For referrals to the Army National Guard, referring retirees should call or go to: www. Subscribe to Stars and Stripes Just 99c a week! Stripes in 7.
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