Cornyn requests investigation into Army suicides

HOUSTON (AP) — Sen. John Cornyn is asking the Army for an independent investigation into a string of suicides among recruiters from the same Houston-based battalion.

Cornyn, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, wrote of his concerns in a letter to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren that was released Thursday.

The Republican senator, referencing the five suicides in seven years by Army recruiters in the city, cited "very troubling" allegations and "serious problems" within the battalion.

According to the letter, which was obtained by the Houston Chronicle for a story in its Friday editions, Army recruiters and their family members have told Cornyn that some battalion leaders have tried to obstruct the investigation. The recruiters also told the senator that leaders hinted that subordinate officers should lie to authorities to avoid portraying the chain of command in an unfavorable light.

Cornyn also wrote that he has been told of "improper and unprofessional" practices such as mass punishment, organized hazing, and confrontational "counseling sessions," in which recruiters are threatened with expulsion from the Army for failing to make monthly quotas.

"These allegations, if true, point to criminal misconduct punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice," Cornyn wrote. "Should these claims be substantiated, the relevant individuals must be held fully accountable for their misconduct and the resultant problems with the Houston Recruiting Battalion."

A spokesman for Geren's office, Lt. Colonel David Patterson Jr., declined to comment until Friday, the Houston Chronicle reported. The U.S. Army Recruiting Command and the Houston Recruiting Battalion also declined to comment to the newspaper.

Five Army recruiters from the same Houston battalion have committed suicide since 2001, including two since August.

Recruiting is considered a tough job in the military, veterans advocates said. Recruiters face pressure to sign at least two "prospects" a month, which is more difficult during war. If they don't "make mission," recruiters can be punished with longer duty hours and threatened with losing rank or receiving bad evaluations.