Can our soldiers be trusted if convicted felons are allowed to enlist?
(WDAY TV) - The National Guard has allowed convicted felons to enlist. Some of these people may have been called to patrol your neighborhood and evacuate homes during the flood. We've learned of at least three felony cases in the last year among our region's guard members, two cases of sex abuse, one felony theft. Is the recruiting system strong enough to make sure a few, doesn't tarnish the reputation of the entire Guard?
- National Guard soldier
If Army National Guard soldiers are sent to guard your home when you evacuate during a flood, or to protect your neighborhood from looters after a tornado, you'd like to know you can trust them.
Hoeven: “Whatever needs to be done, they do it.”
And their commander in chief in North Dakota, Governor John Hoeven, says you can.
Hoeven: “We have tremendous trust in our National Guard. These are people who save lives and put others first.”
The Guard does background checks on new recruits, but some of them are allowed to enlist even with a criminal history. Prior to 2006, even felons were accepted. All it takes is what is called a moral waiver. That is essentially a free pass for past bad behavior, including committing crimes. They are easier to get when the guard is having trouble getting recruits.
Here is the number of enlistments in North Dakota each year for the last decade. Take a look at the period from 2003 to 2006, when recruitment was lowest. This is when Major General Sprytzinatik says it was "relatively easy" to get a moral waiver.
So how big of an issue is this? It's hard to say. The Guard says individuals with waivers are not a problem, but could not tell me exactly how many waivers were given out and for what, prior to 2008. And, once soldiers are in, even what their waivers are for cannot be seen in their file.
Jammy Ryckman: “Once they are out with us, they're treated the same as any individual. What we teach out here are the Army values, which is respect and doing what is right at all times.”
But Ryckman says sometimes enlistments take only a week.
Ryckman: “Do people slip by from time to time, it's a possibility.”
This begs another question: how do we know if person commits a crime once he or she is enlisted? Once again, Guard policy leaves a gap. It says, "once a soldier is in the Army National Guard, it's up to the soldier to inform their command if they have any legal problems." If they don't, it’s possible the Guard will never know.
Hoeven: “There may be things we can always do better than we do, and this is an organization that includes thousands and thousands of soldiers.”
The Guard insists those who commit crimes are the minority. Moral waivers can disqualify you for certain units and positions that take special security clearance. Spryznatik says recruitment is at a record high and it's nearly impossible to get morale waivers. Since 2006, felons are no longer accepted.
Of those felony sex cases we mentioned earlier, one was convicted, one is pending. The soldier, who committed felony theft while enlisted, was discharged when we brought it to the Guard's attention.
Tags: reporter stories, kelsey soby, north dakota, national guard, north dakota legislature, crime, military, guard
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