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Denver’s CBS 4 investigative reporter Rick Salinger uncovered some dirty doings at a local army recruiting station not long ago. We wrote about it here. The Army now has decided to close 1,700 recruiting stations around the country for the day.
Army officials are currently investigating several complaints of improprieties, including a case of two Colorado recruiters who stand accused of telling 17-year-old high school journalism student David McSwane how to beat a drug test and how to get a phony diploma. McSwane recorded this exchange with a recruiter: “alright. They don’t know it’s fake or anything? I’m not going to get in trouble?” Recruiter: “Right, you won’t. No.”
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Many recruiters say the their quotas are unrealistic, and the resulting pressure is too much.
The family of Richard Wittmann knows the outcome of the pressure firsthand. Wittman was a recruiter in California until he took his own life. His former wife says the job was a big factor. “He had times where he really came home and he said, “I really don’t know how to take this any more, it’s really stressing me out,’ ” Gabriele Wittman said.
Congrats to Rick Salinger for bringing this to light.