Irregular Army

by Matt Kennard

  22 “Statement on House of Representatives Action on Legislation To Reinstate the Draft,” Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, October 11, 2004; http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/14975065/statement-house-representatives-action-legislation-reinstate-draft.

  23 “Americans Reject Reinstating the Military Draft,” March 18, 2006; http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/11567/americans_reject_reinstating_the_military_draft/.

  24 Christian G. Appy, Working Class War (University of North Carolina, 1993), p. 6.

  25 Ibid., p. 15.

  26 Ibid., p. 32.

  27 Ibid., p. 15.

  28 “More Troops to be Deployed to Iraq: About 37,000 Will Come From Guard, Reserve Units,” Associated Press, May 4, 2004.

  29 http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2887.

  30 http://www.randproject.org/news/press/2010/06/14.html.

  31 “Need Help With a Down Payment? Ask the Army,” Associated Press, August 9, 2007.

  32 Jamie Wilson, “US Lowers Standards in Army Numbers Crisis,” Guardian, June 4, 2005.

  33 “Rep. Susan A. Davis Holds a Hearing on Army Recruiting and Retention—Committee Hearing,” CQ Transcriptions, August 1, 2007.

  34 “Army, Marines Allow More Convicts to Enlist,” Reuters, April 21, 2008.

  35 “Rep. Susan A. Davis Holds a Hearing on Army Recruiting and Retention—Committee Hearing,” CQ Transcriptions, August 1, 2007.

  36 All unattributed quotations in the book are drawn from interviews conducted by the author.

  CHAPTER 1: THE OTHER “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”

  1 “Screening for Potential Terrorists in the Enlisted Military Accessions Process,” Defense Personnel Security Research Center, April 2005, p. 12; http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/screening.pdf.

  2 Andrew Macdonald (pseudonym), The Turner Diaries: A Novel (Barricade Books, 1996).

  3 “Guidelines for Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces,” DOD Directive 1325.6, 1969; http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/132506p.pdf.

  4 (SPLC President) Richard Cohen, “Letter to Secretary Gates: Extremists Continue to Infiltrate Military,” November 26, 2008; http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/letter-to-secretary-gates-extremists-

  continue-to-infiltrate-military.

  5 “Extremist Activities,” Department of the Army Pamphlet 600–15, June 1, 2000; http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/p600_15.pdf.

  6 “Screening for Potential Terrorists in the Enlisted Military Accessions Process,” Defense Personnel Security Research Center, April 2005, p. xiv.

  7 The phone calls were made in March 2008, from New York City.

  8 Dan Ephron, “The Guard Who Found Islam,” Newsweek, March 21, 2009.

  9 “Army Command Policy,” Army Regulation 600-20, 18 March 18, 2008; http://www.apd.army.mil/jw2/xmldemo/r600_20/main.asp.

  10 “Colonel is Top-ranking Officer Killed in Iraq,” CNN, October 31, 2005.

  11 Curtis Krueger, “Policing the Peace is Just Part of War,” St. Petersburg Times, April 12, 2003.

  12 “The Hammerskin Nation,” Extremism in America, Anti-Defamation League; http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Hammerskin.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=3&item=hn.

  13 David Holthouse, “A Few Bad Men: Racist Extremists Infiltrating US Military,” SPLC’s Intelligence Report, Issue 122, Summer 2006.

  14 J.D. Leipold, “Army Changes Tattoo Policy,” Army News Service, March 18, 2006.

  15 Jon Ronson, “Conspirators,” Guardian, May 5, 2001.

  16 Stephen Lemons, “AZ Neo-Nazi Icon Elton Hall Hit by Vehicle While Protesting Salvador Reza’s Day-labor Center,” Phoenix New Times, February 10, 2008.

  17 Mark Potok, “Rage on the Right: The Year in Hate and Extremism,” SPLC Intelligence Report, Issue 137, Spring 2010.

  18 www.newsaxon.org.

  19 www.bloodandhonour.com.

  20 Sonia Scherr, “Leaked Neo-Nazi E-mails Show Contacts With Military Personnel,” SPLC blog, September 3, 2009.

  21 Wikileaks release: NSM private emails; http://file.wikileaks.info/leak/nsmfargo-hotmail-emails-2009/msg00273.html.

  22 http://www.npr.org/news/images/2008/feb/08/eastpage1.html.

  23 “US Soldier Says he Randomly Shot at Iraqis,” Associated Press, January 9, 2008.

  24 Dan Edge, “Fort Carson Soldiers’ Killing Spree After Iraq Combat,” BBC News, August 25, 2010.

  25 Matt Kennard, “Neo-Nazis are in the Army Now,” Salon, June 2009.

  26 “US Marine Sniper Unit Photographed With ‘Nazi SS’ Flag,” BBC News, February 10, 2012.

  27 “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” Department of Homeland Security, April 7, 2009; http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf.

  28 “White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel Since 9/11,” FBI report; http://cryptome.org/spy-whites.pdf.

  29 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007; http://militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/ngic_gangs.pdf.

  30 Holthouse, “A Few Bad Men,” SPLC, Summer 2006.

  31 (SPLC President) Richard Cohen, Letter, June 7, 2011; http://beforeitsnews.com/story/696/459/SPLC_Exclusive:_DHS_Has_Stopped_Investigating_Right-wing_Extremists.html.

  32 Michael Miller, “Armed Neo-Nazis Now Patrolling Sanford, Say They Are ‘Prepared’ For Post-Trayvon Martin Violence,” Miami New Times Blog, April 6, 2012.

  33 Holthouse, “A Few Bad Men,” SPLC, Summer 2006.

  34 http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2006/summer/a-few-bad-men/pentagon-in-denial.

  35 Holthouse, “A Few Bad Men,” SPLC, Summer 2006.

  36 Figures obtained by the author from the DOD in 2008 through the Freedom of Information Act.

  37 Summary of Investigative Activity: Reports obtained by the author from CID through the Freedom of Information Act in 2008 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  38 Ibid.

  39 “Screening for Potential Terrorists in the Enlisted Military Accessions Process,” Defense Personnel Security Research Center, April 2005.

  40 Thelma Gutierez, “Gangs in the Military—Part 1,” CNN, May 9, 2007; http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0705/09/pzn.01.html.

  41 “Former Airman Charged in Soldier’s Death,” Associated Press, February 11, 2009.

  42 Steve Mraz, “Slain Soldier’s Family Still Waiting for Justice,” Stars and Stripes, May 30, 2006.

  43 Tech. Sgt. Kati Garcia, “Little Rock Airman Convicted, Sentenced in Court-martial,” Air Force website, January 27, 2009; http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123132916.

  44 “Armed Services Defendant Arrested and Charged With Second Degree Murder of Army Sergeant Juwan Johnson in Hohenecken, Germany,” Department of Justice, February 6, 2009; http://www.justice.gov/usao/dc/Press_Releases/2009%20Archives/February/09-034.html.

  45 “Former U.S. Air Force Airman Convicted of Second Degree Murder of Army Sergeant in Germany,” US Fed News, November 16, 2010.

  46 “Soldier Convicted in Gang Beating Death of Sgt.,” Associated Press, February 26, 2009.

  47 “Verdict in Gang-initiation Death Trial Angers Victim’s Mother,” Stars and Stripes, February 27, 2009.

  48 Garcia, “Little Rock Airman Convicted, Sentenced in Court-martial,” Air Force website, January 27, 2009.

  49 Steve Mraz, “Soldier Says Life Threatened for Speaking Up,” Stars and Stripes, February 10, 2007 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  50 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  51 Rod Powers, “Army Criminal History Waivers,” About.com; http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/a/criminal.-u59.htm.

  52 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” Nat
ional Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007.

  53 Gustav Eyler, “Gangs in the Military,” The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 118, 2009.

  54 Seth Robson, “FBI Says U.S. Criminal Gangs are Using Military to Spread Their Reach,” Stars and Stripes, December 7, 2006.

  55 Eyler, “Gangs in the Military” (from which the following quotations are taken).

  56 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007.

  57 Ibid.

  58 “Exclusive: Gangs Spreading in the Military,” CBS News, July 28, 2007.

  59 Robson, “FBI Says U.S. Criminal Gangs are Using Military to Spread Their Reach.”

  60 “Local Police Say Fort Sill Has a Gang Problem,” Associated Press, November 10, 2008.

  61 Ron Jackson, “Fort Sill Gang Dispute Intensifies,” Newsok.com, November 11, 2008; http://newsok.com/fort-sill-gang-dispute-intensifies/article/3320983.

  62 Josh Gerstein, “Army Transfers Could Trigger A Gang War,” New York Sun, March 16, 2006 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  63 H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=h110-4986.

  64 Leo Shane III, “Bill Would Ban Gang Membership in Ranks,” Stars and Stripes, December 15, 2007.

  65 Ibid.

  66 Eyler, “Gangs in the Military.”

  67 “National Gang Threat Assessment 2009,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 2009.

  68 Ibid.

  69 Ibid.

  70 James M. Klatell, “Are Gang Members Using Military Training?,” CBS News, July 28, 2007.

  71 “Inside the FBI,” podcast, February 6, 2009; http://www.fbi.gov/news/podcasts/inside/gangs/view.

  72 “Gang Activity in the Military,” KFOX TV, March 13, 2006; http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/7978035/detail.html

  73 “Gang Members in the Army, Part I,” California Department of Justice, November, 2005; http://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_90024783.pdf.

  74 Garth Stapley, “Family of Slain Ceres Officer Speaks to Help Others Weather Own Tragedies,” The Modesto Bee, January 11, 2010.

  75 “Gang Members in the Army, Part I,” California Department of Justice, November, 2005.

  76 http://icasualties.org.

  77 “National Gang Threat Assessment 2009,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January, 2009.

  78 Ben Conery, “U.S., Mexican Drug Gangs Form Alliances,” Washington Times, March 26, 2010.

  79 “Clinton Pledges Broader US Effort on Mexico Drugs Gangs,” BBC News, March 24, 2010; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8582497.stm.

  80 “3 Teens Charged in Cartel Slaying,” Associated Press, August 13, 2009.

  81 http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/13/nation/na-drug-killing13.

  82 “US Army Soldier Michael Jackson Apodaca Arrested for Contract Kill in Mexican Drug Cartel Murder,” New York Daily News, August 11, 2009.

  83 Geoffrey Ramsey, “Arrest of Would-Be ‘Zetas’ Shows Risk of US Military Infiltration,” InSight Crime, March 29, 2012; http://insightcrime.org/insight-latest-news/item/2415-arrest-of-would-be-zetas-shows-risk-of-us-military-infiltration.

  84 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007.

  85 “Soldier Accused in Gang Shootings,” Baltimore Sun, October 17, 2007.

  86 “Soldier Held in City Shooting Could be Freed,” Baltimore Sun, October 18, 2007.

  87 “Gang-Related Activity in the US Armed Forces Increasing,” National Gang Intelligence Center, January 12, 2007.

  88 “Gang Members in the Army, Part I,” California Department of Justice, November 2005.

  89 “Ex-Guard Soldier Faces Gun Smuggling Charges,” Associated Press, September 22, 2006.

  90 Linda Rosencrance, “GAO: Stolen U.S. Military Gear Sold on eBay, Craigslist,” Computerworld, April 14, 2008.

  91 Timothy Roberts, “City to Vote on Assault Rifle Buy, Cops Want an M-4 in Every Patrol Car,” El Paso Times, January 12, 2010.

  92 Eric M. Weiss, “Probe: Robbers Used Weapons Smuggled From Iraq by Soldier,” Washington Post, July 16, 2006 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  93 “Tancredo Concerned Military Officials Unaware of Gang Infiltration in U.S. Army,” Rep. Tancredo’s Congressional Website, April 9, 2008; http://tancredo.house.gov.

  94 Art Winslow, “Review: Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Descent into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death, by Jim Frederick,” Chicago Tribune; http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/chi-books-reviews-black-hearts-frederick,0,5714703.story.

  95 Jim Frederick, “The Blackest Hearts: War Crimes in Iraq,” Guardian, July 24, 2010.

  96 Wikileaks Iraq War Logs; www.wikileaks.ch.

  97 “Disabilities of Convicted Felons: A State-by-State Survey, 1996,” US Department of Justice; https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/pr/195110.pdf.

  98 Michael Boucai, “Balancing Your Strengths Against Your Felonies: Considerations for Military Recruitment of Ex-Offenders,” Palm Center, September 2007.

  99 “Military Grants More Waivers to Recruits,” Associated Press, February 14, 2007.

  100 “Military Enlistment of Felons Has Doubled,” Palm Center Report, February 13, 2007.

  101 Ibid.

  102 Al Baker, “Soldier Says Pardon Buoys His Hopes for Police Career,” New York Times, January 2, 2010.

  103 ”A Well-earned Second Chance,” New York Daily News, January 2, 2010.

  104 Sig Christenson, “When Inmates Become US Army Soldiers,” San Antonio Express-News, March 22, 2010.

  105 Ibid.

  106 Ann Scott Tyson, “Military Waivers for Ex-Convicts Increase,” Washington Post, April 22, 2008.

  107 Ibid.

  108 “Military Recruiting: New Initiatives Could Improve Criminal History Screening,” GAO Report, February 23, 1999; http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/ns99053.pdf.

  109 Boucai, “Balancing Your Strengths Against Your Felonies.”

  110 Lizette Alvarez, “Army Giving More Waivers in Recruiting,” New York Times, February 14, 2007.

  111 Lizette Alvarez, “Army And Marine Corps Grant More Felony Waivers,” New York Times, April 22, 2008.

  112 “Marine Who Killed Iraqi Set Free,” Associated Press, December 15, 2007.

  113 Russell Carollo, “Troops Linked to Crimes in Iraq War were Recruited Despite Troubled Pasts,” Macon Telegraph, July 20, 2008 (from which the following quotations are taken).

  114 Perry Jefferies, Letters, New York Times, February 25, 2007.

  115 Alvarez, “Army And Marine Corps Grant More Felony Waivers.”

  116 “Waxman Requests Pentagon Docs on Recruitment,” Politico.com, April 21, 2008; http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0408/Waxman_requests_Pentagon_docs_on_recruitment.html.

  117 “More Convicted Felons Allowed to Enlist in Army, Marines,” Associated Press, April 21, 2008.

  118 “Military Takes More Recruits with Criminal Pasts,” Associated Press, October 10, 2007.

  119 “House Panel Probes Army’s Waivers for Recruits With Criminal Histories,” CQ Today, April 21, 2008.

  120 Scott Tyson, “Military Waivers for Ex-Convicts Increase.”

  121 Adam Liptak, “1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars, New Study Says,” New York Times, February 28, 2008.

  122 “Military Enlistment of Felons has Doubled,” Palm Center Report, February 13, 2007.

  123 “Jailhouse Recruiting,” Local CBS News Channel; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvXkQHuuZN0.

  124 “Rep. Susan A. Davis Holds a Hearing on Army Recruiting and Retention—Committee Hearing,” CQ Transcriptions, 1 August 2007.

  125 Mark Benjamin, “Out of Jail, Into the Army,” Salon, February 2, 2006.

  126 Sig Christenson, “From Prison Stripes to Sergeant’s Stripes,” San Antonio Express-News, March 21, 2010.

  127 Ann Scott Tyson, “Army More Selective as Economy Lags,” Wash
ington Post, April 17, 2009.

  128 Ned Parker, “Sniper Unit Chief Tells of Ordering Slaying,” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2008.

  129 Ibid.

  130 Carollo, “Troops Linked to Crimes in Iraq War Were Recruited Despite Troubled Pasts.”

  131 Ibid.

  132 “Complaint,” United District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia, February 15, 2011.

  133 Matt Kennard, “Pentagon Harassment Suit May Spark Further Action,” Financial Times, April 15, 2011.

  134 Elisabeth Bumiller, “Sex Assault Reports Rise in Military,” New York Times, March 16, 2010.

  135 Kennard, “Pentagon Harassment Suit May Spark Further Action.”

  136 “Sexual Assault in Military ‘Jaw-dropping,’ Lawmaker Says,” CNN, July 31, 2008.

  CHAPTER 2: SICK, ADDICTED, AND FORSAKEN

  1 Lizette Alvarez, “After the Battle, Fighting the Bottle at Home,” New York Times, July 8, 2008.

  2 Greg Miller, “Alcohol Cited as Problem at Prison,” Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2004.

  3 Ibid.

  4 Statistics obtained from the DOD by the author via the Freedom of Information Act.

  5 Paul von Zielbauer, “For U.S. Troops at War, Liquor Is Spur to Crime,” New York Times, March 13, 2007,

  6 Ibid.

  7 Gregg Zoroya, “More Soldiers Seek Drug Abuse Help,” USA Today, November 21, 2008.

  8 Ibid.

  9 Alvarez, “After the Battle, Fighting the Bottle at Home.”

  10 Paul von Zielbauer, “In Iraq, American Military Finds it Has an Alcohol Problem,” New York Times, March 12, 2007.

  11 Ibid.

  12 “Study: Binge Drinking Common in Military,” CBS News, February 13, 2009; http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/13/health/main4800944.shtml.

  13 Corey Pein, “US Military’s Party Budget Includes Thousands For Alcohol in Afghanistan,” War Is Business website, December 31, 2010; http://www.warisbusiness.com/features/ledger/military-alcohol-in-afghanistan/.

  14 Charles Laurence, “How the Iraq War is Destroying America’s Fighting Men,” Daily Mail, March 20, 2007.

  15 Ibid.

  16 Ibid.

  17 “Afghan Alcohol Ban After Nato Staff Were ‘Too Hungover’ to Give Explanation for Airstrike that Killed 70 Civilians,” Daily Mail, September 9, 2009.

  18 “Alcohol Banned on Afghanistan Base After Troops Party Too Hard,” Daily Telegraph, September 8, 2009.