US Army rocked by Iraq war recruitment fraud scheme

[cali]

Two generals and dozens of colonels are implicated in the alleged scheme, in which referral fees were illegally collected for recruiting soldiers.

The fraud is said to have already cost the US government at least $29m (£17.7m) and may top $100m in total.

Details were revealed by two Army generals at a US Senate hearing.

The National Guard programme - established in 2005 and later expanded to the Army and Army Reserve - paid soldiers, civilians and retirees $2,000 to $7,500 to recruit friends and family, according to congressional documents.

According to investigators, numerous schemes were used to defraud under the programme, which saw the Army pay out more than $300m for 130,000 recruits during the Iraq war.

<snip>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26041963

[L0oniX]

1. Trust your govenment and its military ...damn it all!

I will never trust the US government, military and its law enforcement here and abroad. Vietnam taught me a life lesson.

[cali]

2. we must support our military!!!

or so I'm oft told here.

[underpants]

3. Any word on that $23 B THAT DISAPPEARED IN IRAQ?

These Generals couldn't wait to get their DoD contractor jobs and payoffs?!??

[jsr]

4. Oh. It's a small price to pay for our freedom.

[SamKnause]

5. Unaccounted for

Any word on the missing 2.3 Trillion dollars that the Pentagon misplaced ?

Rumsfeld made the announcement that the Pentagon could not account for 2.3 Trillion dollars.

The announcement was made at a press conference the day before 9/11.

[underpants]

6. Great point

A much forgotten event. If I remember correctly, the Pentagon uses 1,400 accounting systems.

[Lasher]

7. How dare you begrudge our valiant troops a few footballs?

A small price to pay for Freedom.

[sibelian]

8. FREEDOM!

THAT'S the word on your missing piffling dollars. You put a price on FREEDOM? You luuuuurbruls... stuff, things, etc.

FREEEEEEEDOM, fantastic FREEEEEEEDOM, I can smell that democracy in Iraq all the way from Edinburgh.

[underpants]

11. :-)

[tblue]

13. FREEDOM……..from Food Stamps!!!

Our priorities are so effed up.

[LiberalEsto]

9. Let's cut Food Stamps to pay for it! nt

[zeemike]

10. Why do you hate capitalism Cali?

You should be supporting the troops in this time of permanent war.
Do you want the terrorist to win?
USA, USA, USA!!!!, that is what you are supposed to say.

[atreides1]

12. I hang my head in shame.

USAF missile officers cheat on proficiency tests...USN investigating possible cheating on proficiency tests of reactor operators...and now the the US Army has committed fraud with an enlistment scheme!

I can't wait to see what the USMC has going on...

As a veteran and former soldier, I am truly ashamed of the dishonorable actions of these personnel!

[jmowreader]

15. So far, all the Marines have is pissing on corpses

[indepat]

14. When a venture is seemingly immoral, illegal, and inhumane on its face and in its entirety,

does a little related fraud scheme even amount to a hill of beans in the big scheme of things?

[GeorgeGist]

16. Heroes aren't cheap!