Pros/Cons of Former Service Members Exploiting Service Time

2015-05-08T06:41:22-04:00

So this group has gotten a lot of press lately, especially concerning Kinessa Johnson. BLUF: this group is there to train and advise but, members are falsifying their objectives there. Of note are her comments about killing bad guys. Some light Googling shows her to be a diesel mechanic who got out after 1 enlistment as a SGT and now bills herself as an anti-poaching adviser and weapons instructor. Personally I am tired of the frauds and fakes but, wondering what everyone else thinks?

http://www.armytimes.com/story/veterans/2015/05/07/reports-nonprofit-vetpaw-kicked-out-of-tanzania/70963970/

Reports: Nonprofit VETPAW kicked out of Tanzania

A small but splashy veterans group with lofty plans to take on African poachers has been kicked out of Tanzania in the wake of what appears to be a self-inflicted publicity blitz run amok.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 8 at 2015 6:44 AM

2015-05-08T06:44:53-04:00

Back when I first read about this (I think it was right here on RP), I had serious doubts about some of the claims being made by Ms. Johnson. I also fall back on the old adage that goes something like "those that have really been there are the ones that aren't talking about it."

Response by PO1 John Miller made May 8 at 2015 8:06 AM

2015-05-08T08:06:19-04:00

I also found it far-fetched that Ms. Johnson was trained as a sniper. If she was, I'm fairly certain it would not have been through the Army. If I'm not mistaken (please correct me if I'm wrong and this is not a slam at all against my sisters-in-arms) women cannot receive sniper training.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made May 8 at 2015 11:00 AM

2015-05-08T11:00:42-04:00

Personal salesmanship has a long history. Her key claim to fame is her looks combined with her veteran status that got her hired on as a model for several tactical advertisements. Now, she's used them again to promote the anti-poaching advising outfit she works for. Proof of case: how many stories have you heard about her co-workers on the team? Or other teams doing the same/similar? There's really nothing inherently wrong with this, even if it rubs us the wrong way to see someone judged more by looks over skills.

Everyone misrepresents their past, some are too modest, some too proud. The ones too proud tend to get hired more than the too modest. I'm not sure about retention.

I see this really as a lesson on research, if you're hiring a veteran, read the service record, check some of their references, and see if you can find one of your friends you trust who knew the vet in service.

Response by SFC Maury Gonzalez made May 8 at 2015 1:10 PM

2015-05-08T13:10:53-04:00

It must be all the tattoos that made her a weapons expert , if you ever watched the 9/11 Conspiracy documentary, their "explosives " expert was an army cook

Response by SrA Edward Vong made May 8 at 2015 3:01 PM

2015-05-08T15:01:35-04:00

The only thing I ever mention about my military service are my awards (not medals and ribbons), my job experience, and the fact that I served in the "have you ever served" part. I prefer not to get into any story detail.

Response by SPC Jeffrey Bly made May 8 at 2015 3:28 PM

2015-05-08T15:28:00-04:00

Sounds like some gung ho people who wanted to get in on something that they had little or no experience with. If you want the right people for the job, interview and get references.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2015 8:50 AM

2015-05-09T08:50:53-04:00

If you're referring to VETPAW they aren't poacher hunters. Try don't shoot and kill bad guys like Rambo mercs. For one that's internationally illegal, and two they make a clear point of saying as much on their website because as you e just pointed out, people have the wrong idea about them.

They simply train the locals to spot and deter poachers as well as the park rangers in how to patrol, report and deter poaching.

And if you're implying that just because she /was/ a mechanic that she's a lousy marksman it sounds like your just judging it from the cover.

I wouldn't say this is exploitative at all. It's a veteran driven initiative. They hire vets who volunteer and want to help.

Did you know that veterans occupy the biggest chunk of unemployed Americans?

In light of that I'd say it's a damn good thing what they do and the world could use more of it.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 10:02 AM

2015-05-11T10:02:10-04:00

Is this exploiting military service, or is this just plain lying?