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Marines, Army lowering bars for criminal recruits

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The U.S. military is opening itself up to potential trouble by accepting more recruits with criminal records. It is, therefore, imperative that the Pentagon establish a system of tracking such soldiers to make sure they are not harming America's war effort.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the number of "moral waivers" granted to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds grew about 65 percent in the last three years, from 4,918 in 2003 to 8,129 in 2006. About 11 percent of those waivers were for felony convictions, the Times reported.

The Marine Corps is also accepting more recruits with criminal backgrounds, though not at the same pace as the Army, the Times and The Associated Press reported.

This development is a symptom of a greater problem: The Pentagon is having a difficult time signing up new soldiers as it fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintains its long-term presence in locations around the world.

To boost recruitment, the Pentagon has taken other steps, such as offering larger enlistment bonuses; accepting high-school dropouts and recruits with low scores on aptitude tests; and easing weight and age requirements. The waivers given to recruits with criminal histories is another attempt to fill the ranks.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the increased use of moral waivers is cause for concern.

"With (President Bush's) desire to send more troops into Iraq, we're only going to see more and more problems when it comes to recruiting," Giffords said. "This is the case where one bad apple can spoil the barrel. And we have to remember that our soldiers are the face of America when they are overseas."

Letting in young Americans with checkered pasts isn't necessarily a bad thing for the military. Many of the waivers being granted are for misdemeanors and minor drug offenses, the AP reported.

It would be wrong to bar all young offenders from military service and a chance to improve their lives. The military has been a steppingstone to good careers for many Americans.

"There are some troubled youths that can possibly be turned around by having a structured experience in the military," Giffords said. "It can be a second chance for some."

There are risks in granting too many moral waivers. It could lead to more discipline problems in the ranks, and it could make military service less attractive to law-abiding citizens if they believe they will be in the company of former criminals.

It's difficult to know if the lowering of standards had anything to do with infamous atrocities reportedly committed in Iraq by Americans, notably in Abu Ghraib prison and the towns of Haditha and Mahmoudiya.

However, it seems counterintuitive that a military facing image problems is lowering its standards for character when it should be raising them.

U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., told the AP: "By lowering standards, we are endangering the rest of our armed forces and sending the wrong message to potential recruits across the country."

That opinion is echoed by John H. Hutson, dean and president of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire and a former Navy judge, who told the Times there is a reason that allowing people with criminal records into the military has been the exception rather than the rule.

"If you are recruiting somebody who has demonstrated some sort of antisocial behavior and then you are putting a gun in their hands, you have to be awfully careful about what you are doing," Hutson told the Times. "You are not putting a hammer in their hands, or asking them to sell used cars. You are potentially asking them to kill people."

We recognize that the recruiting environment is difficult for the Pentagon, but it should not allow men and women with criminal records into the military without tracking them, which it doesn't do now.

"We have to be observant," Giffords said. "We need to have strict monitoring in place, particularly for recruits who have backgrounds that are less than top-quality."

We urge U.S. lawmakers, especially Arizona's delegation, to take steps to ensure that moral-waiver recruits bring honor to themselves and the military branches they serve.