Marine Recruiters Punished For Getting Stand-Ins For Entrance Exams

HOUSTON (AP) _ The military has punished nine Marine Corps recruiters who arranged for stand-ins to take Armed Services entrance exams for new enlistees. <br/><br/>The cheating was made public Wednesday,

Thursday, November 1st 2007, 7:22 am

By: News On 6

HOUSTON (AP) _ The military has punished nine Marine Corps recruiters who arranged for stand-ins to take Armed Services entrance exams for new enlistees.

The cheating was made public Wednesday, though officials at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Houston noticed in April that signatures of test takers didn't match those on enlistment forms, said Capt. John Niemann, a spokesman for the recruiting district.

``I don't know why this happened here. Obviously, we do not tolerate it,'' Niemann said. ``We learned of it. We investigated it and took appropriate disciplinary action.''

The worst offender was discharged from the service while the remaining eight were reassigned and given non-judicial punishments, which could include fines and demotion.

The military would not release the names of the recruiters or say who the stand-in test-takers were.

Officials said they found 15 instances of fraud, although they weren't sure how widespread the practice was or how long it had been going on.

The cheating took place on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a test given to prospective recruits to determine whether they're eligible for the service and what type of military jobs they're best suited for.

Officials said the recruits who didn't take their own tests faced a range of consequences, including expulsion from the service. They also had an opportunity to take the exam on their own, authoritie said.