When I read through another thread here about Glass, the National Guardsman who fled to Canada after being given orders for Iraq, in spite of what he was told when he signed up, I thought that recruiters telling lies would make an interesting thread.

When I first visited U.S. Army recruiters back in 1978, I had an experience reminiscent of what happened to Goldie Hawn in the movie "Private Benjamin." No, I wasn't promised a condo or the same things she was told, but lies were definitely part of the recruiting process.

The reasons that brought me to the recruiting office are similar to the reasons that bring many there today - economic downturn:

After receiving my B.A. in New York and attending Penn State Graduate School, I couldn't find a decent-paying job where I lived since the country was in the middle of a recession, so I moved to Florida to live with my grandparents near Tampa to see if I'd have better luck finding a good job there. I didn't - so I visited the local Army recruiting office. This office was located in a storefront in a strip mall.

I filled out some paperwork and talked to two VERY friendly recruiters. They told me that being in the military was one big party and one locked the door. The other pulled out a couple of joints (m*rijuana cigarettes for any who don't know what that is), got some beers out of the refrigerator and we partied for awhile. They reiterated that this was what it was like in the Army. I said I'd think about it and left.

The next time I returned to the recruiting station, the same scenario occurred; locking the door, smoking, and drinking, telling me that joining the Army was like joining one big party, and that sounded great so I signed up.

What they failed to tell me was that I'd frequently be awakened in the middle of the night when I attended AIT (Advanced Individual Training) and stand in line with a bunch of other sleepy women wearing nightwear in the barracks, waiting to take the "goldenflow" (urine) drug test. It wasn't a problem since no one I knew ever flunked the test; it was just a form of harassment, I guess, but it belied what the recruiters told me. Yes, I ran into people who liked to party everywhere I was stationed, but no, the Army was NOT one big party.

There was a terrific company clerk at my permanent duty station who was selected for recruiter training. He returned after two weeks and I asked him what happened. He said they were being trained to lie and he couldn't do it.

I'm not making any of this up. If you google "military recruiters lie" you'll see a lot of info which supports what I'm saying.

So when someone says that soldiers know what they signed up for, that shows me that person doesn't know the whole story. Military recruiting is a numbers game and a recruiter who is either dishonest or desperate to make his monthly quota won't hesitate to say whatever he thinks will get someone to sign on the dotted line, and the truth be damned.

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Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

Recruiters have quotas to meet. If they are not met, they get reamed out. I think this is what's happening when guys re-enlist with promises of huge bonus incentives, then they get seriously injured, get shipped back to the states, many now without an arm or a leg, and a Pentagon guy shows up to do the paperwork with them of that bonus money not being paid because they are no longer in combat.

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National Debt =

Of course they lie. Pawns are usually the first chess pieces to die, so it's gotta be a hell of a sales job.

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Unfortunately, the Founders did not address the possibility of this nation becoming populated with obnoxious twits.

After being "hoodwinked" by these recruiters, did they also lie to you as far as what your MOS/ assignment would be? Did you get to do what you signed up for?

That's an excellent question, AD. No, I did NOT get the MOS (that's Military Occupational Specialty for you non-vets) I signed up for, so I didn't get the bonus I signed up for, either!

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Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

What did you think you were signing up for and what did you get instead? What was the promised bonus? And did your contract not state these "promises"? Since you are stating that the recruiters mislead you, then this question is relevant.

The recruiters lied to me about the Army being one big party and didn't tell me about the constant drug test I'd undergo in AIT. So regardless of the answers to your question, the fact is that my recruiters lied.

I signed up for 98G, Electronic Warfare, and chose to learn Russian, since that language had a $2500.00 bonus, decent money back then. In the middle of basic training, I was told to report to someone who then interrogated me. No one told me that I would have to pass an interrogation in order to be a 98G and it wasn't in the contract I signed either. (Unlike most people, I read every word of anything I sign and don't just take the other person's word for it.) The contract DID say that I would get a $2500.00 bonus for learning Russian and being a 98G.

Anyway, being young and more easily intimidated than I am now, I answered all of the interrogator's questions honestly instead of telling him that many of them were none of his business like I would now. Whether or not I had ever slept with a man or gone away for a weekend with one was not pertinent and I should have said so and refused to answer. (I wonder if he asked men the same type of questions about women...probably not.)

Anyway, several days later I was told that I hadn't passed the interrogation and couldn't be a 98G so I was told to pick out another MOS! In disgust I selected a few that would at least use my writing ability, like journalist. I can't remember the exact titles now but I was told to choose three and they would give me the one they had the most need for. It took hours but I finally settled on three MOS's.

Then - and this is the kicker - I was given a paper to sign saying that I was willingly relinquishing my claims to be a 98G. I refused. The lackey who had given me the books to use and the paper to sign said I couldn't leave his office until I signed that piece of paper. So I did - after writing He was infuriated and I left. It gets worse.

After Basic Training I was given orders to the Presidio of Monterey to learn Russian! I was thrilled, thinking the Army had changed its mind and would fulfill its end of the contract I signed since I refused to relinquish my rights. I still hadn't learned about SNAFU...

When I arrived at the Presidio the person processing me found newer orders underneath my old ones that had been overlooked, assigning me to Administrative Assistant training at Fort Jackson, SC. She said a mistake had been made and I'd be sent back to Fort Jackson. I told her that I had a college degree and signed up for the Army to use my language ability, NOT to be a file clerk, and that if they sent me back to Fort Jackson for that, I'd go AWOL. I meant every word. She looked at my DLAP (Defense Language Aptitude) test score, which was high, consulted with someone, and made me a 96C Interrogator/Translator for Russian so I did get to attend the Presidio, which was wonderful. But even though 96C for Russian also had a $2500.00 bonus, I didn't get it because that's not what I signed up for. <SIGH>

Recruiters lie.

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Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

Lumara, why didn't you go OCS? My degree put bars on my shoulders, why didn't you go that route instead?

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"Bring me that horizon".

Yes, recruiters DO lie. Regardless, a contract is signed and must be completed. I can understand how a high school graduate or drop out might not understand what they are signing but an intelligent woman like yourself would know what she is signing. Did you actually believe the recruiter when he told you that the Army was one big party??

Since you stated that you received your B.A. in New York and you attended Penn State Graduate School, I am curious as to why you weren't an officer?

I did try out for OCS first but didn't make it.

A contract goes both ways. The Army didn't fulfill its end of the contract I signed; therefore, I have no problem with others reneging after being lied to as well. My sympathies are with them.

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Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."