[Riley]

Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy would get a couple of Engineering degrees, and then join the Army (in a combat arms unit, no less) as an enlisted man?

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Yes!

[ChemistCat]

I have known many, many enlisted people who had college degrees. If they didn't have them before enlisting, they earned them afterward. I am thinking however that this particular individual had some mental problems, IF he wasn't a terrorist mole. It will be very interesting indeed to see the result of the investigation into his background!

One thing I'm wondering about. If it's true he wasn't trusted by the Army to take active part in the first Gulf War, why in HECK was he still in uniform for the second one?

[Always Right]

Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy would get a couple of Engineering degrees, and then join the Army (in a combat arms unit, no less) as an enlisted man?

That is odd, it would have been quite easy for this guy to start out as an officer if he signed up for ROTC.

[vastrightwc]

"Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy would get a couple of Engineering degrees, and then join the Army (in a combat arms unit, no less) as an enlisted man?

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

I’m not defending this POS one bit, but to answer your question…

My father graduated with an EE Degree then pressed onward for a Masters but decided to serve his country instead, Vietnam was just getting cranked up at that time.

He joined the Navy and became a Diver. 26 years he served.

[Sci Fi Guy]

Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy would get a couple of Engineering degrees, and then join the Army (in a combat arms unit, no less) as an enlisted man?

No, when I was in, I knew a few who had degrees before joining. Although it is the minority, most do it the other way around. Serve their country first, then use their vet benefits to help with college costs.

[rstevens]

Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy would get a couple of Engineering degrees, and then join the Army (in a combat arms unit, no less) as an enlisted man?

Doesn't strike me as odd at all. Many college degreed people join the military service, first as enlisted personnel. Unless they are ROTC students in a program to be commissioned, then they must join the military then go thru OCS to become commisioned officers.

He enlisted and was trained as an engineer and was in an Engineer unit in Kuwait.

What is odd about this?

What I find odd is that the muslim/Islamic chaplains are not being closely watched and investigated. I believe there is now and has been for the past 10 years, an Al Quaida type effort to infiltrate the US Military with Muslim extremists. The DC Sniper is one of several instances.

[Spook86]

While I knew many NCOs with college degrees during my time in the military, most earned them after entering the service. I'm only guessing here, but I'd say Kools had an undistinguished academic record; probably struggled in class and had to take a number of courses over (not unusual in an engineering program). With an undistinguised academic record, he couldn't land a job, so he returned to school to get a second engineering degree. Still unable to find employment as an engineer, he finally turned to the Army. I can almost hear the recruiter tell him that the Army would send him to OCS in no time, given his academic qualifications.

But I'll venture that the Army was about as impressed with Mr. Kools as prospective civilian employers. Moody, loner--definitely not the type who succeeds in the military. I'd like to get a look at his performance reports; they probably identify him as someone who would never earn a commission, or move past the ranks of a mid-level NCO. I'm sure that galled him to no end--a sergeant with two engineering degrees serving under white officers with less education. Couple that with a failed marriage and the teachings of militant Islam, and you've got an explosive mix.

BTW, I'm puzzled, as are many of you, by the decision to leave Kools in the unit after he was reprimanded for insubordination last week. At that point, I would have put Kools back on a plane for Ft. Campbell.