Investigation Prompts Recruiting 'Stand Down'
May 11, 2005 10:51 am US/Mountain
The army will halt its nationwide recruiting efforts for one day this month to review procedures in the wake of a CBS4 News investigation. Friday, May 20 has been targeted as the probable date of the stand down.
The initial report into questionable recruiting tactics involved two Golden, Colo. recruiters. The two men allegedly instructed a high school honor student, who said he was a dropout drug addict, in ways to falsify a high school diploma and beat a drug test.
A Grand Junction, Colo. youth also told CBS4 News of recruiters who broke promises, falsified forms and got him a laxative to lose weight.
CBS4 News' affiliate in Houston, KHOU-TV, and reporter Mark Greenblatt, recently aired a story about questionable recruiting practices where a young man was threatened with arrest.
The allegation involves a phone message in which it appears a recruiter threatened a young man with arrest if he didn't show up for an appointment.
Chris Monarch, 20, said he considered joining the army. He even went so far as to talk to recruiters. But after the arrival of a baby and the opportunity to become a firefighter, he changed his mind.
"I got a call last Thursday," Monarch said. "I recognized the name. His name was Kelt."
That would be Sgt. Thomas Kelt, an army recruiter in a Houston-area mall.
"I told him I am a volunteer firefighter and eventually I'm going to try to get a career in that," Monarch said. "I'm just not interested in that [the army] any more and I just hung up the phone."
But Kelt called back and left this message.
"Hey Chris, this is Sgt. Kelt with the army, man. I think we
got disconnected. Okay, I know you were on your cell, probably, and just had a bad connection or something like that. I know you didn't hang up on me. Anyway, by federal law you got an appointment with me at 2 o'clock this afternoon. You fail to appear and we'll have a warrant. Okay? So give me a call back."
Monarch said he took the call seriously.
"He was a sergeant in the army, so I believed what he said," Monarch said. "I was worried."
Monarch's dad was livid.
"It's one thing to threaten me, but to threaten my kid, it's unbelievable," Chuck Monarch said.
Chris Monarch said he called Kelt back.
"And he said, 'Oh, Chris, don't worry about that, that's just a marketing technique I use,' " Monarch said.
The general in charge of recruiting for the army was played the tape of the phone call.
"It's really an insult to other recruiters who are handling themselves and conducting themselves in the proper way," said Maj. Gen. Michael Rochelle.
As for Sgt. Kelt, he declined to comment.
Army officials now say the military branch will devote a day to review its recruiting procedures and values.
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