Illegal and the Recruiter

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 10:08:50 -0400

There is a lot of discussion on the perception that the government will allow someone who is not a legal citizen to join our services. Everyone is wrapped up in the word "criminal" and "lawful" and "illegal". I pose this question to you about our recruiters who are in deed supposed to screen and validate each one of us who is serving today and will serve in the future.

Are recruiters engaging in criminal activity if they knowingly exclude information you give them so that you may enter the service or MOS? I was interviewed and answered all my questions with candor (before even knowing what it was) and the answers he placed on the page were skewed somewhat. I asked about it and he said that if anyone asked I was to answer the question this way. Was this criminal activity?

I joined the Army after applying for the Houston Police Department and answered the same question the way. They asked me to take a long walk and come back in 5 years to re-apply. I will leave the questions up to your imagination, because if you are on Rally Point, you answered the same questions I did.

There is so much passion about the "Illegal" aspect of these folks, but just like our civilian counterparts who hire folks knowingly who are not within the guidelines to even be employed, are recruiters accountable for the same issue if they are a US citizen and not within the guidelines for service?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2014 10:17 AM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 10:17:23 -0400

CW5 Sam R. Baker, I would say that the answer to your question is a resounding yes. I understand that recruiters are under pressure to make a quota, but skewing or changing answers (facts) from a potential recruit is just plain wrong. In fact, I have seen instances where law enforcement has pursued this sort of behavior. I don't know the outcome of the cases, but I do know that recruiters "fudging" at least got them in trouble and was brought to the attention of law enforcement.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are a lot of Johnnys and Suzys out there who will file complaints claiming that their recruiter lied to them, etc., so it's a two-edged sword.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Oct 1 at 2014 10:54 AM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 10:54:01 -0400

False official statement by both you and the recruiter. Art 107 and 83 of the UCMJ. I have know at least 1 recruiter to get Art 15'd over it and several people booted for it.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2014 10:08 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 22:08:31 -0400

I was "lucky" enough to be a Recruiter back in the day. It was a standard saying of "No, None, and Never" ,which was how to tell the applicants to answer questions. I didn't take that tact as it wasn't nearly as important to get a recruit as was my career. I actually had a Reserve Recruiter tell me " I asked all the medical questions of this candidate so you don't have to" I didn't particularly trust him and ended up finding out the kid had a plate in his head.
On that note the application process can be ridiculous at times. I had a candidate who said when he was 7 his parents were going to adopt a sibling. They were scheduled for family counseling because of it. The MEPS Dr wanted to see the counseling paperwork before he could enter (hence the No, None and Never)
Hard to blame the Recruiter in most cases because this same kid answered a 100 question form and failed to mention this counseling. Most Recruiters were honest in my opinion and like anything, the exceptions stick out.

But, to finally answer your question, yes I feel the Recruiter is responsible for truthfully enlisting a candidate.