11 News Defenders report leads to nationwide Army stand-down

11:43 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 11, 2005

By Mark Greenblatt / 11 News Defenders

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HOUSTON -- There's been a swift response from the U.S. Army following an exclusive 11 News Defenders investigation into allegations recruiters are going too far to sign up new soldiers.

Late Tuesday afternoon, 11 News confirmed the U.S. Army will now call for a nationwide stand-down of all recruiting efforts in what a spokesperson at the Pentagon calls a serious step at self-examination.

KHOU-TV

Sgt. Thomas Kelt refused to comment on any of the questions asked by 11 News Defenders.

The Army will set aside a full day on May 20 as the day to have every recruiter across America review Army recruiting policies and standards. It's an effort to stop overly aggressive recruiting tactics.

Nationwide, the Army wants to make sure men and women who become soldiers do so without being threatened.

The announcement comes just one day after the 11 News Defenders exposed a Houston Army recruiter threatening to arrest a local young man if he didn't report that day to the army recruiting station.

Sgt. Thomas Kelt left this message on that young man's cell phone: "Hey Chris, this is Sgt. Kelt with the Army man. I think we got disconnected. Okay, I know you were on your cell probably and just had a bad connection or something like that. I know you didn't hang up on me. Anyway, by federal law you got an appointment with me at 2 o'clock this afternoon at Greenspoint Mall, okay? That's the Greenspoint Mall Army Recruiting Station at 2 o'clock. You fail to appear and we'll have a warrant. Okay? So give me a call back."

We asked Sgt. Kelt in to comment.

Sgt. Kelt: "I'm not at liberty to comment.

Reporter: "But that's your own voice?"

Sgt. Kelt: "I'm not at liberty to say."

Now, Army recruiters across America will take a day to focus on what 11 News uncovered here in Houston and what others have found elsewhere in an effort to restore integrity to recruitment.

We're told that stand-downs like this are typically only done when the military experiences an increase in accidents or other systemic problems. This one, in particular, is an effort by Army leaders to reinforce Army values and ethics in its recruiters.