'Hobo hunting,' sexual misconduct, and fraudulent expense reports totaling more than $1 million are some of the allegations facing the Arizona National Guard.
The Arizona Republic recently published a report on criminal and ethical misconduct in the organization based on months of investigations and public records requests from the U.S. Army. Governor Jan Brewer is said to be involved at this point, and has directed further investigations into the "cronyism" and "lack of discipline" which has fostered this sort of lawless culture.
One of the officials who talked to The Republic said, "They (wrongdoers) know nothing's going to happen. Nobody can touch them ... This is the inbred stepsister of the active-duty military."
Among the worst allegations are:
- A noncommissioned officer who got drunk with privates, has sex with a female enlistee and was still allowed to deploy, where he was further disciplined for similar offense. Then, instead of being charged, he was simply moved.
- A group of soldiers who drove around a Humvee and shot people with paint balls, who then bullied a whistleblower. The whistleblower claimed they said to her, "What, you never heard of the 'bum hunts?'" The investigation reveals that the "recruiter of the year" allegedly participated in upward of 35 of these "hunts." They also allegedly made transients perform humiliating "song and dance" routines.
- Several soldiers cited with drunk driving were either let off the hook or faced light discipline.
Governor Jan Brewer has vowed to get to the bottom of the situation, expressing confidence in Maj. Gen. Hugo Salaza, the Arizona National Guards top officer. But Lt. Col. Rob White, a decorated combat veteran who's responsible for future operations in Arizona's Joint Forces Headquarters, wasn't so hopeful.
"The way the Arizona National Guard is today, I would not trust it with my son or daughter," White to The Republic. "It disgusts me ... People don't get fired, they get moved."
The Republic's report is quite thorough, and you can read the rest of it here >
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