How many feel they were lied to by their recruiters?

CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:34:11 -0500

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 2:36 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:36:03 -0500

I am going to give recruiters the benefit of the doubt and say that many times, as is human nature we believe what we want to believe and it very often seems that someone that we are not attached to lied to us. Maybe they did, and maybe they didn't.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 3 at 2016 2:36 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:36:22 -0500

I was not lied to by my recruiters CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member. However I enlisted in 1974 when the Vietnam war was winding down. My recruiters, just outside of Philadelphia, PA, laid out my enlistment options based on my ASVAB scores and helped me select 12B Combat Engineer as my MOS.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Mar 3 at 2016 2:36 PM

SSG Audwin Scott — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:36:24 -0500

I honestly got exactly what I wanted. I had 2 step brothers and a cousin already in so I knew the game.

Response by LTC Thomas Tennant made Mar 3 at 2016 2:36 PM

LTC Thomas Tennant — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:36:43 -0500

LMAO.....tell me you didn't ask this.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 2:37 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:37:49 -0500

I was told by my first recruiter that, when in the chow line at Basic, if I didn't like what was in the main line I could just go to the fast line and get a pizza. Boy, did I learn the hard way that was not the case.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Mar 3 at 2016 2:40 PM

SGT Dave Tracy — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:40:52 -0500

I went in knowing more (with regard to what I wanted and what would apply to me) than he did, so no. I didn't give him the chance.

That said...had I asked him about day-to-day Army LIFE--and I should have--I'm sure he would have had ample opportunity to lie to me.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 2:45 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:45:22 -0500

My recruiter did not tell me anything that was untrue. Now, he may have left out a detail or two .. lol

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 3 at 2016 2:45 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:45:53 -0500

Mine never lied to me. I didn't necessarily ask the right questions, but that would be on me not them.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 2:48 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:48:57 -0500

though I was not "lied to", my recruiter did withhold information to try to steer me into a certain career field, due to my ASVAB and DLAB scores. Failed to mention that the MOS he wanted to put me in had a 52 week long AIT.

Response by SPC David S. made Mar 3 at 2016 2:50 PM

SPC David S. — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:50:51 -0500

Mine was my friend's father and the XO at my first unit. Never lied to me and was a good mentor.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Mar 3 at 2016 3:18 PM

PO1 Brian Austin — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:18:42 -0500

Not at all. I got exactly what i wanted. It was a heckuva ride and a lot of fun.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 3 at 2016 3:41 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:41:25 -0500

Moi. They lied about the available jobs. SSG, SFC, and 1SG.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 4:12 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:12:28 -0500

CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member what do you mean by "recruiter"? Hehehe

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Mar 3 at 2016 4:30 PM

LTC Stephen C. — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:30:16 -0500

Not my recruiter, CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member! CW4(ret) Pete Morris (then a Sergeant Major) was a superior soldier and human being then, he is now, and we're friends to this day. You're right, this question has been asked before.

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Mar 3 at 2016 5:17 PM

SFC J Fullerton — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:17:15 -0500

I think often times what is interpreted as a "lie" was actually unintentional misinformation or a misunderstanding, not an intention to deceive. Most recruiters were involuntarily plucked out of their MOS, sent to 6 week course, and put in a recruiting station for a 3 year tour. Very few become subject matter experts on every aspect and detail of every job and assignment in their branch. Regulations and enlistment policies/programs constantly change, just as they do at the BCT training bases. Its almost impossible to keep up to every little change. A recruiter may answer a question about BCT based on his knowledge, but later the recruit finds it to be different. The quick reaction is 'my recruiter lied to me', when in reality something changed or was different at that training base than what was initially told. No intention to deceive, just bad poop.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 5:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:49:45 -0500

My recruiter told me that PDQ meant there was no way I could get in.

The next recruiter and the past 21 years proved him wrong.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Mar 3 at 2016 5:58 PM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:58:11 -0500

There is one sure way to no if a recruiter lied to you, have them put what they say in writing. If they can't out won't a red light should go off in your mind.

If it doesn't, you want to be lied too

Response by 1SG Brian Adams made Mar 3 at 2016 6:13 PM

1SG Brian Adams — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 18:13:48 -0500

Interesting question having served in USAREC for 15 years as a 79R5M....I was never mislead by my Army recruiter. Now, did I ever lie to a potential recruit, or mislead any new recruits...Never! I think some recruiters "sugarcoat" information, but I do not recall myself or any of my Army recruiters to have ever engaged in any erroneous activity.
These days, there is so many checks and balances...it is most difficult to "lie" to any recruit...

Response by PO3 David Fries made Mar 3 at 2016 7:00 PM

PO3 David Fries — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:00:41 -0500

As scary as it is, I never really interacted with my recruiter when I had to. I don't know if that was my fault or his.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2016 12:34 AM

MCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 00:34:44 -0500

Not a bit.

The first time around, my Recruiter had some out of date info (Recruiters from Airborne school and Ranger school come through Infantry OSUT to fill slots). They had, but not in several cycles (about 6-months).

Everything else was spot on.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Mar 14 at 2016 2:53 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:53:23 -0400

Did any of you read the DD-4 Enlistment Contract? Read what you signed and the cautions associated with it. Then tell us how you were lied to.

http://usmilitary.about.com/library/pdf/enlistment.pdf

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2016 10:18 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 22:18:49 -0400

Ohhh, you took Advanced Biology?. .. have I got the MOS for you, CHEMICAL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST. I was convinced I was going to be in a lab with beakers and flames and my mass spectrometer. Its been 13 years, I haven't seen A lab coat yet. Although my level A suite makes up for it. :-)

Response by LTC Tom Barbeau made Mar 31 at 2016 10:16 AM

LTC Tom Barbeau — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 10:16:39 -0400

Recruiters don't lie. But they do have a mission to fill, and they need to fit recruits into the scope of that mission. I tell my kids' friends that if they want to do X Y or Z in the military, and the recruiter doesn't bring that particular specialty up, that they need to ask about it specifically. Especially things like language positions or very technical MOS's. Recruiters have no problems assigning people with high GT scores to low GT score positions if it checks their box.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2016 11:32 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 May 2016 23:32:51 -0400

Recruiting with integrity is the foundation of USAREC. Are there people that do the wrong thing? Absolutely. There are Soldiers that do the wrong thing in every formation. Unfortunately we can never escape the human factor. An applicant's MOS, enlistment bonus (if applicable), options (if applicable), length of service, etc. are all spelled out in finite detail within their contract. To hear someone say, "My recruiter lied to me" always makes me laugh silently. My recruiter, who I still talk to, more than a decade after enlisting, was disgustingly honest with me- about EVERYTHING. So though I've heard Soldiers say it- I haven't personally experienced it.

Response by SGT John Ball made May 9 at 2022 3:44 PM

SGT John Ball — Mon, 09 May 2022 15:44:15 -0400

My Recruiter was upfront, ethical, and honest with me. He definitely stressed if it isn't in writing, then it never happened. So, my experience with a Recruiter was positive.