Iowa man claims Army recruiter tricked him into joining military

[kiahzero]

http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=32757

CLINTON, Iowa - A recent high school graduate is accusing an Army recruiter of tricking him into enlisting once he changed his mind about joining the military.
Ryan Winter, 18, says the recruiter repeatedly assured him before he reported to duty this month in Davenport that he would simply have to head to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for a brief out-processing procedure.
``He said, 'I'm going to be back by next week','' said his mother, Laurie Kasmar. Instead, she received an emotional phone message June 13 from their son, saying he had been tricked into joining the Army.
The office of Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, told the family Friday that the Army has decided to give Winter a Chapter 11 general discharge and send him home in two to three weeks.

snip...

This is absolutely disgusting. At least their Congressperson was able to spring him, but that doesn't excuse the Army from this kind of deception.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. These kind of cases come up once in a while and people HAVE successfully

sued to get out of an invalid contract like this. Keep in mind and forward this story to people you know if anything like this happens to them.

[Cannikin]

2. Just saw his parents and heard the message on 'Countdown'

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

5. I like your picture

You should do one with Georgie

[xultar]

3. They showed how they recruit on the Discovery Channel...

This kid will win cuz they do pressure. They are like used car salesman. Actually they are WORSE.

[gatlingforme]

18. I wish I could have seen that show. I love PBS. It's pathetic

they resort to this -- I think it has been going on longer than people may think. very sad

[KDLarsen]

4. Excuse me..

.. but what the heck is a "a brief out-processing procedure"?

OTOH, it could have been a lot worse - he could have been calling his mother from Iraq!

[TheDebbieDee]

10. You're right - it could've been much worse............

The kid's lucky to be getting chaptered out. By rights, the Army could've just keep him - once he reported to Ft. Jackson, he was militry property.

[0007]

17. Shhhhhh that's the next move!

[hightime]

6. Is there any "bad" luggage with a Chapter 11 general discharge?

It sounds like he should be released from his commitment free and clear. Is there anything hidden here in the Chapter 11 discharge?

[LincolnMcGrath]

8. I believe he can apply for a honorable discharge after a YEAR.

[kiahzero]

9. From what was said, it's value-neutral.

It's neither positive nor negative... it just is.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. It's certainly not "bad conduct discharge" (Big Chicken Dinner) or

Dishon. Discharge. Since he was basically never really in the military I don't see how anyone could possibly hold this against him whether gen. discharge or honorable.

[LincolnMcGrath]

7. My birth town! Clinton IA

Recruiters lie! All the time! Recruiters lie! All the time! Recruiters lie! All the time! Recruiters lie! All the time!

[Catch22Dem]

12. My recruiter was a good guy

Very informative. Never kept any information from me. Never lied about any of his "selling points." He was just an all around good guy. I'm one of the FEW people who have a "good recruiter" story though.

[Nlighten1]

14. I got high with my recruiter.

He was a cool guy.

[IA_Seth]

13. Uncommon?

I am from Cedar Rapids, IA....I had a close acquaitance who was also "tricked" into joining the military back in 1996-1997... He actually went and bought a micro-recorder and taped the recruiter on the way to some sort of physical and was just barely aloud out of it (they said the recording was illegal).

It is amazing what people will do for a quick buck.

[Longhorn]

15. Same thing happened to my BIL with the Navy

back in the 70's only he didn't get out. He changed his mind before the swearing-in but the recruiter told him he couldn't change his mind, that he would go to jail. So he continued with the enlistment. Years later, he found out he had been lied to. He actually stayed in for several years and got an engineering degree out of it but when he told us about it recently, he was still bitter.

[Voltaire99]

16. Yep, they tricked him all right.

They told him he'd be defending democracy.