07-30-2008
Raw Story

An army recruiter in Houston has been
lying to high school students about their obligations under a non-binding
military "delayed entry program" and even threatening them with jail if they
don't follow through and enlist.


Eighteen year old Irving Gonzales
told KHOU 11 News in Houston that as a high school senior he started thinking
about enlisting in the Army as a way of helping out his family financially and
signed up for the program. But when he told the recruiter, Sgt. Glenn Marquette,
that he'd changed his mind and "I'd rather just stay here, go to college,"
Marquette insisted that Gonzales couldn't get out because "you signed a binding
contract."

Accourding to KHOU reporter Mark Greenblatt, Army recruiting
regulations state that "delayed entry members can leave any time" and "under no
circumstances can a recruiter threaten or intimidate future soldiers."

In an audio recording played by KHOU,
Gonzales went on to ask, "What if I just don't show up?"

Marquette
replied, "Then guess what? You're AWOL. ... You want to go to school? You will
not get no loans. ... As soon as you get pulled over for a speeding ticket ...
they're going to see that you're a deserter. Then they're going to apprehend
you, take you to jail."

"All that lovey dovey I want to go to college and all
that?" Marquette concluded. "Guess what? You just threw it out the
window."

Marquette refused to speak to KHOU reporters who caught up with
him in a parking lot, telling them, "I don't want to be bothered." However, the
Army says that making threats as Marquette did is a violation of regulations and
that he has been removed from recruiting duties, pending an
investigation.

According to Greenblatt, when KHOU found the same tactics
being used three years ago, the story became a national scandal and the military
promised its recruiters would be retrained. "It seems someone didn't learn their
lessons," Greenblatt reports. The officer involved in that earlier incident was
even promoted to be a station commander, responsible for training and
supervising other recruiters.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), whose district lies
just north and east of Houston, agrees that "there is a problem."

"Our country cannot deceive its
citizens," Poe who is himself a veteran, told KHOU. "Since the Army hasn't taken
the initiative, now Congress may have to get involved. ... The Army has to get
their ship in shape."

https://www.
khou. com/news/local/stories/khou080728_tnt_armyrecruiters. eb16366.
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