add to del.icio.us			digg this		print		email

Sen. Cornyn Requests Senate Hearings On Recruiter Suicides

“I believe this issue has significant implications for our all-volunteer Army and, as such, requires further oversight by Congress”

WASHINGTON—Following completion of an Army investigation into a string of suicides at the Houston Recruiting Battalion, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee requesting hearings on the overall issue of recruiter suicides. Sen. Cornyn was briefed yesterday by Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Accessions Command LTG Benjamin C. Freakley, and investigating officer BG Frank Turner on the findings of the investigation.

“It is clear to me that the Army has and continues to give this matter very serious attention, and I was impressed with the thoroughness of this investigation into these four unfortunate deaths,” Sen. Cornyn said. “I believe this issue has significant implications for our all-volunteer Army and, as such, requires further oversight by Congress. To that end, I have sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee requesting hearings on this matter.”

Audio: http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/cornynconfcallintro1_22_09.mp3

Background

After learning of the string of suicides within the Houston Recruiting Battalion, Sen. Cornyn wrote two letters to Secretary Geren expressing serious concern in a number of areas and calling for a thorough, unbiased investigation. Shortly thereafter, per direction from the Secretary of the Army, BG Turner began a broad, comprehensive investigation into these issues.

Full text of letter

Dear Chairman Levin and Ranking Member McCain:

I write today to request a Committee hearing on the recent trend of suicides by U.S. Army recruiting personnel. I believe this issue has significant implications for our all-volunteer Army and, as such, requires further oversight by Congress.

As you are aware, our military recruiters are critical to our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and on all fronts in the Long War. These young men and women, many of whom assume their duties following combat deployments, are under enormous strain to meet their recruiting missions that are vital to sustaining our all-volunteer force. In fact, each of the four soldiers in the Houston Recruiting Battalion who committed suicide had previously deployed and served our nation in combat, a fact which bears further examination.

I have received a tremendous outpouring of letters and calls pertaining to these issues from both Texas constituents and others. These individuals, many of them current or past recruiters, have informed me that these problems are not limited to the Houston Recruiting Battalion, or even the Army, and may in fact be widespread across our Armed Forces.

On October 9, 2008, I wrote to the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, requesting that the Army thoroughly investigate these tragic deaths in the Houston Recruiting Battalion and the reported problems there, which include poor command climate and low morale. Yesterday, the Army briefed me on the results of its investigation, and I believe a Committee hearing is now warranted.

I strongly believe that this alarming trend, which is further evidence of the strain on our current force, necessitates the attention of Congress and, specifically, the Senate Armed Services Committee. I appreciate your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

-30-
www.cornyn.senate.gov

You will need to have Real One Player installed on your computer to be able to listen or watch the clips above. Real One Player is free software that lets you play audio and video files. Download Real One Player