PA NATIONAL GUARD SAYS RECRUIT IS AWOL

NEPA News ^ | 7-8-05 | The Associated Press

[Woman on Caroline Street]

A recent high school graduate who alleged that she was recruited into the National Guard through deceptive practices did not appear for her entry training Wednesday and now is considered absent without leave, officials said. Faustner's mother, Joan Koberly, said her daughter had been attending the monthly drill weekends at the Allentown National Guard Armory but stopped in April on the advice of her lawyer, John Roberts. Roberts said Thursday that a recruiter had told Faustner that the Army National Guard would send her to nursing school after basic training, but instead her unit had been told it had a 90-percent chance of going to Iraq. "A 17-year-old girl should be thinking about her prom and her graduation, not about going to Iraq. She was just misled all the way around. She's not real sophisticated," said Roberts, who said his client was recruited at Northampton Area High School about six months ago. He said the recruiter did not give her and her parents complete information, and therefore wants the Guard to release her from the commitment. "She's not around," Roberts said. "She's prepared to go to jail, if that's what they want." Cleaver said Faustner's charges were taken "very seriously" and a staff judge advocate investigated, but none of the allegations could be substantiated.

[Woman on Caroline Street]

This was my first article I've ever posted. I hope I did it right.

[Tribune7]

bump

[genefromjersey]

I read somewhere the Army is just quietly bouncing such people out. No fuss,no feathers-just an administrative "unsuitable" discharge.

[Non-Sequitur]

Looks fine to me.

[RushCrush]

Interesting tidbit at the end of the article:

Cleaver said Faustner's charges were taken "very seriously" and a staff judge advocate investigated, but none of the allegations could be substantiated.

[Lijahsbubbe]

YOU DID JUST FINE.

[msnimje]

Maybe it is time to give recruits IQ tests. If it is below say, 65, maybe they should not be allowed to join.

[toothfairy86]

If the recruiter told her the National Guard would send her to nursing school after basic training, they weren't lying. They just didn't tell her how long after basic training it would be!

[Graybeard58]

I used to live on Caroline st.

Which woman are you?

You did fine posting the article. What are your thoughts on it?

[snarks_when_bored]

The paragraph breaks are missing; pretty good for first time, though:

A recent high school graduate who alleged that she was recruited into the National Guard through deceptive practices did not appear for her entry training Wednesday and now is considered absent without leave, officials said.

Guard officials said they will seek a warrant from a district judge to force Jessica Faustner, 18, of Bath, to go to training at Fort Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County.

"We will pursue this pretty strongly,"' said Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard. "We just want soldiers fulfilling their requirements."

Faustner's mother, Joan Koberly, said her daughter had been attending the monthly drill weekends at the Allentown National Guard Armory but stopped in April on the advice of her lawyer, John Roberts.

Roberts said Thursday that a recruiter had told Faustner that the Army National Guard would send her to nursing school after basic training, but instead her unit had been told it had a 90-percent chance of going to Iraq.

"A 17-year-old girl should be thinking about her prom and her graduation, not about going to Iraq. She was just misled all the way around. She's not real sophisticated," said Roberts, who said his client was recruited at Northampton Area High School about six months ago.

He said the recruiter did not give her and her parents complete information, and therefore wants the Guard to release her from the commitment.

"She's not around," Roberts said. "She's prepared to go to jail, if that's what they want."

Cleaver said Faustner's charges were taken "very seriously" and a staff judge advocate investigated, but none of the allegations could be substantiated.

[Alexander Rubin]

Looks good to me. Interesting article. Not quite sure what to think yet. Although I have some sympathy for the girl, desertion should never be taken lightly.

[Mygirlsmom]

Not sure I'd want this girl as a nurse, either.

[Calpernia]

ping

[commonasdirt]

"Maybe it is time to give recruits IQ tests. If it is below say, 65, maybe they should not be allowed to join."

And if the recruit is under 18, test the parents as well. From reading the story the entire family could be a drawer full of dull knives. Rule #1: Read before you sign.

[Graybeard58]

If recruiters are the same way they were when I enlisted a long long time ago, they should be required to have a big sign on their desks that says:

................."I AM A LIAR".................

[Yo-Yo]

If your recruiter promises anything, get it in writing!

[1stFreedom]

Something doesn't seem right. First of all, one doesn't go from boot camp to war zone. There is some advanced training given...

And it sounds as if she wanted the benefits of military training without actually having to go to war. Gee, did she think she signed up for the peace corps??

[TheOtherOne]

Nice Post, here is some more info on the case:



Warrant issued for AWOL teen in recruiting dispute
Northampton Area graduate was to report for initial training. She claims she was misled when she enlisted.

By Manuel Gamiz Jr.
and Kathy Lauer-Williams Of The Morning Call

National Guard officials issued a warrant Thursday for Jessica Faustner to find the recent Northampton Area High School graduate and get some answers about her failure to report for military training.

Faustner, 18, went absent without leave Wednesday — the day she was to report for initial entry training. She has said her recruiter used misleading tactics to get her to sign up.

''She signed on the bottom line, and it is a serious commitment, especially in this time of war,'' said Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard. ''She needs to abide by those commitments.''

Cleaver said authorities tried to serve the warrant at her family's Moore Township house, but she was not there.

A friend of Faustner's family said she left Pennsylvania shortly after her graduation ceremony.

''She's scared,'' said Stephen Kiss of Moore Township.

Cleaver said the Guard is not looking to punish Faustner, but the warrant is a means to force her to go to training at Fort Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County.

''We just want her to report to duty,'' he said, adding that the National Guard could slap a fine on Faustner, but likely will not. ''There are standards that we must uphold in the military.''

Faustner is scheduled for basic training next week and could face stiffer penalties if she fails to report then. Basic training is run by the Army, and initial entry training is run by the Guard. After 30 days of being absent without leave, a soldier is classified as a deserter.

The Pentagon estimates that since the start of the war in Iraq, more than 5,500 soldiers have deserted.

Prior to 2001, the majority who deserted were released with an other-than-honorable discharge, but after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Army adopted more stringent policies that return deserters to their units.

''Her case is extremely rare,'' Cleaver said. ''Most, nearly all, that join the National Guard are living up to their commitment.''

Faustner had been attending the monthly drills at the Allentown National Guard Armory, but stopped in April on the advice of her lawyer, John Roberts, according to past statements by her mother, Joan Koberly of Bath.

Faustner went public with her accusations of misleading recruitment practices at a

May 9 meeting of the Northampton Area School Board.

Kiss also spoke about what he called questionable recruiting tactics at the meeting and said the last time he saw Faustner was at graduation.

''She was terrified [the Guard would] come to graduation to get her,'' Kiss said.

Faustner's parents could not be reached for comment.

He said she is afraid to apply for jobs or school because she fears the military will track her down.

Kiss said he still believes Faustner was deceived by the recruiter, even though the investigation by the Guard showed no wrongdoing.

''She was 17,'' he said. ''She thought she was going to be nurse. She had no idea she was signing up to go to Iraq.''

Cleaver said all her allegations, including one in which Faustner said she forged her mother's signature on her enlistment papers, were investigated. He said ''some were very, very difficult to believe and none of them were substantiated.''

Copies of the warrant were sent to several police departments, including the state police at Bethlehem and Belfast; Moore Township, Colonial Regional; Stockertown; and Nazareth; and the district court of Senior District Judge Elmo Frey of Nazareth.

''I don't relish doing it at all,'' said Joseph Keglovitz, Moore Township police chief. ''We are not treating it as an armed and dangerous person, but if we come across her, we have to comply. It was her military obligation.''

[Zavien Doombringer]

As a Vet, I can tell you, no one goes into combat with out the training. True, the unit would be deployed, but the Tech School isn't assigned to the Unit. The NEw Reqruit would be detached from the unit for training and would remain there until completion. If training isn't completed in the required time, disciplinary action can be insued.

Nursing School (AIT) Is 18 months long, her enlistment would almost be up.

If this girl was worried about prom and being a teenager, what is she doing in the army NG?