Did you know that the Department of Defense wrongfully accused and punished members of our armed services despite proof of innocence? As 1st Lt. Llewelyn Hughes put it, “I just don’t want to see another generation of soldiers experience what I had to experience.” The lieutenant is not the only retired veteran to suffer from a false criminal record after helping recruit new soldiers through the National Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP). In 2012, the National Guard launched G-RAP during the Global War on Terror to incentivize recruitment. The program offered service members a financial bonus if they referred a friend to the National Guard. Many service members opted into the program to support their families back home. Yet, due to only a few cases of fraud coupled with mismanagement, nearly 2,000 service members were given a criminal record for participating in the program, though they did not commit fraud themselves.
These criminal records stalled their careers and placed unnecessary barriers on these innocent service members. Now, states are implementing their own version of G-RAP to boost recruitment. Will they make the same mistake? Click here to learn more about the Nolan Center for Justice’s work to ensure that we protect those who protect us.
