Patriotic Texas city mirrors nation's recruiting troubles

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Of the 534 former and current Midland residents who applied toserve between January 2003 and July 2007, The Bee found, 150 hadhistories ranging from theft, traffic or alcohol offenses andfailure to appear in court to more serious offenses such as sexualassault. Of those 150, at least 50 entered the military. Otherswere offered positions but did not enlist.
Even those whose records appeared clean could have troubled pasts,because the Midland Municipal Court is required to maintain recordsfor only five years and because applicants could have records inother area courts and elsewhere.
Among those who enlisted was a man with a history of inpatienttreatment for mental illness and others with records of drugpossession, assault, theft and illegally carrying weapons. At least10 had outstanding charges, fines or sentences when they appliedfor military service.
When Green applied for the Army in 2005, a court record noted thathe owed outstanding fines and "must contact court immediately." Thefollowing year in Iraq, Green drank before going to a house he'dpreviously visited, where he emerged from a room to tell fellowsoldiers, "I just killed them. All are dead," according to anaffidavit from an FBI agent.
Green was discharged from the Army "due to a personality disorder,"the affidavit says. He subsequently was charged by a federal courtin Kentucky with murdering and sexually assaulting Abeer KassemHamza Al-Janabi and killing her parents and sibling. Two monthsago, Green's attorneys notified prosecutors that they may useinsanity as a defense.
Texas produces more military recruits than any other state, andMidland is as patriotic as a city can be, proud to be the childhoodhome of President George W. Bush. Midland, with a populationslightly over 80,000, hosts an annual dinner to honor wounded warveterans from across the country, and people in military uniformsfrequently find their restaurant tabs picked up by strangers.
"I go to pay my bill, and it's paid," said Sgt. 1st Class Shawn L.Miller, station commander for the local Army recruiting office.
Still, Midland presents unique recruiting challenges. Well-paying,entry- level oil field jobs are plentiful, so much so that thelocal sheriff has trouble finding deputies for positions payingabout $30,000.
And despite its patriotism and military foundation, the city is notimmune to the obstacles faced by recruiting offices everywhere asthe Iraq war continues. In the three-day period The Bee visitedMidland, another 10 Americans were reported killed in Iraq.
At the beginning of the war, Miller said, he needed a revolvingdoor to handle the seemingly endless line of applicants to the Armyrecruiting station. These days, his job is much harder.
"It's been pretty challenging," he said. DRUG, ALCOHOL RECORDS
In the years leading up to his enlistment in the Marine Corps anddeployment to Iraq, John Corry Holmes built a record of alcohol anddrug offenses.
When he was 15, Midland police pulled him over for speeding andfound a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey in his car. During the threeyears that followed, he was charged with another alcohol offenseand two drug offenses.