Tom: "I was in a local restaurant and, when they came for me, I ran through the parking lot with them after me. Then I stopped, put my hands up in the air over my head, and got down on my knees. When they reached me Specialist O. hit me with his fist in my sides and back about 7 or 8 times. First Sgt. C. watched and directed the attackers to pound my torso and limbs -- where bruises wouldn't be noticed -- and to avoid marking my face. When he yelled, "Stop. He's had enough, they returned me to barracks. There they forced me stand in the same place for four hours in front of everyone -- as if I was some kind of trophy. First Sgt. C. said if I moved he would let them take me down hard again.
* Five days in a psychiatric ward on Darnall Army Community Hospital and a diagnosis of cyclothymia, a form of bipolar disorder with mood swings.
Tom: "Sure, I was moody. I was so frustrated and angry all the time that my wife threatened a divorce. I couldn't believe what I was going through and I was scared of myself and of what I might do. Here I was, a volunteer, trying to work within a system that I thought was the best in the world and that offered me the best opportunities. Yet, I was treated like an unruly kid. I felt like I'd stumbled into a communist labor camp in some crazy dictatorship. And it wasn't just me: other soldiers were getting similar treatment. I attempted to talk to the Inspector General but Command Sergeant Major N. blocked my access into the IG's room.
* A regime of Depakote (usually prescribed for seizures although Tom's regime was prescribed for "mood stabilization ) that he took for four days.
Tom: "I stopped taking the drugs when I realized that, really, I was the victim in this situation. By taking the drugs I was complicit in victimizing myself. I was right to be angry. They were wrong to drug me for it.
Tom refused to return to Alpha Company and was sent to Bravo Company in the same building. "That wasn't a real change. Bravo Company knew about me and many of them avoided me like the plague. But a few volunteers from both companies came in secret and thanked me for standing up to the brass.
Tom's medical team advised, "He is recommended for a chapter 5-17 administrative separation. [His] condition is currently causing industrial impairment. " He should have no access to weapons and is non deployable. Nevertheless, Sgt. B. ignored this medical advice, issued Tom a weapon when he returned to barracks, and told him to prepare for combat simulation training at Ft. Polk, LA.
In desperation, Tom went AWOL (Absent without Leave) nine months ago and is seeking a medical discharge. "I'm not going back but the military is not processing the papers to discharge me! I don't understand this as I have medical records that state as clear as day that I should be chaptered out.
Tom's abuse by the very personnel he'd expect would cover his back in combat " or whose backs he'd be expected to cover " is not uncommon. There are many "good apples -- ethical and upstanding military personnel " but is there also an unchecked infestation "a few bad apples ?
Meet Robert, Eden, Mohammed, and Janet:
After going Absent without Leave (AWOL) from Ft. Benning, Georgia, "Robert awaits news that he has been Dropped from the Rolls (DFR) so that he can be discharged at Ft. Sill, OK. Robert was 17-years-old when a temporary downturn in his high school grades sapped his confidence and he enlisted in the military to "learn to be a man. In Ft. Benning's boot camp he quickly realized military life was not for him. Despite the military recognizing Robert's inappropriateness for the soldier's life they lectured him about his fitness as a man and lied that his single mother was sick and tired of his feminine ways and didn't want him back in her home. Robert attempted suicide and thereafter was shadowed 24/7 by drill sergeants. Due to return home for Christmas he asked his mother if he was still welcome in her house. Robert never returned to Ft. Benning and won't talk about the humiliation he suffered at the hands of fellow soldiers and NCOs. He is currently under the care of a psychotherapist. When he is sufficiently recovered his mother will drive him to Ft. Sill to process out. Meanwhile, she will stay in a hotel close to the base -- on-hand in case something triggers the trauma Robert suffered at Ft. Benning and he attempts suicide again.
Army National Guard Delayed Enlistment Training (DET) inductee "Eden tried telling his recruiter that he was no longer interested in serving in the National Guard. He sent registered letters to that effect informing the recruiter, the commanding officer, and his congressman that he would not attend drills. Nevertheless, the recruiter continued calling his home and his work place, pressuring and threatening Eden that "he'd be paying legal bills for the next twenty years"if he was lucky enough to avoid a 10-year-jail sentence for changing his mind. It is unlikely that Eden's recruiter did not know Army Recruiting Regulation USAREC Reg 601-56, 3-1c, that states recruiters will not threaten, coerce, manipulate, or intimidate those wishing not to continue with the military nor will they obstruct separation requests. Yet this recruiter called, threatened, coerced, manipulated, and intimidated.
"Mohammed was assigned to Ft. Lee, Virginia when his harassment began. He'd enlisted in the military to provide a better life to his family. Fellow soldiers quickly began calling him derogatory names " "rag head, "sand n-word, and "hajji are perennial favorite amongst our troops " and accused him " because he is an Arab American (born in the U.S.) -- of being "a spy for the enemy. They turned up in his sleeping quarters with weapons slung over their shoulders and told him he'd be the first "A-rab they'd shoot in the combat zone. Mohammed said, "The thing that amazed me is that the military will enlist anybody these days: addicts, gang members, bullies. These folks bring their lifestyles and ideologies with them and find a receptive environment. I went in there with a full commitment to do my best. What I found was a nasty environment that I could not thrive in.
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