Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Code Name "VERAX": Snowden Uncovered - Administrative Discharge

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive! Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.

"Society really seems to have developed an unquestioning obedience towards spooky typesEdward Snowden

"I've been a spy almost all of my adult life."  - Edward Snowden

As noted previously, Mr. Snowden has a problem with embellishing his stories, both on line and in person, causing aberrations in the system.  Aberrations are often indicators of larger problems.  When there are consistent aberrations it means that there is a significant problem or malfunction that may cause an entire system or structure to collapse.  In this case, an entire story constructed to embellish Mr. Snowden's credentials as both a patriot and an honest broker of information that is being released.

Inflated Service

Mr. Snowden reported in his older Ars Technica posts that he had been in the military and that he was discharged after breaking both of his legs.  He says on Ars Technica that this occurred while he was in AIT (Advanced Individual Training). 

Discharges do not happen fast. Both of my legs were broken during AIT and they held on to me until the doctors cleared me to be discharged, and then after being cleared they held onto me for another month just for shits and giggles.

Psych problems = dishonorable/BC discharge depending on how much they hate you. Lots of alleged homos were in the hold unit, too, but they only got a general discharge at best.
If they think he is fucking with them, he is going to get screwed. Hard.
May 13, 2006 / Via arstechnica.com
 
The military, in keeping with standard practices of privacy for current or previous enlisted personnel, would only confirm that Mr. Snowden was in the military, the dates that he served and his rank/status on being discharged. 
 
Snowden reported to Fort Benning, Ga., in June 2004, where "he attempted to qualify to become a special forces soldier but did not complete the requisite training and was administratively discharged," said an Army spokesman, Col. David H. Patterson Jr. 
Snowden left the Army at the end of that September. He mentioned on the tech forum that he was discharged after breaking both legs in accident, a detail the Army could not confirm.
UPDATE:  Per a report from Guardian, the DoD says that Snowden

His records indicate he enlisted in the army reserve as a special forces recruit (18X) on 7 May 2004 but was discharged 28 September 2004," the US army's chief civilian spokesman, George Wright, said by email on Monday. (In his Guardian interview, Snowden gave the year as 2003.)
"He did not complete any training or receive any awards," Wright added

Beginning May 7, Mr. Snowden would have been reporting to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station).  This would have been 2 separate trips. 

An applicant usually makes two separate trips to MEPS. The first trip is for initial processing, which includes medical examination, security interview, ASVAB and other testing.
The second trip is for processing to ship out to Basic Training.

The beginning of this period is the "official" enlistment date.  This could take from 2 weeks to 6 depending on schedules, number of recruits to be processed and organizing group transportation.
 
Reception into a basic training unit can last from 7 to 14 days depending on the recruits arrival (update: at their training base) within the reception period as reception only occurs Monday thru Friday.  If the recruit arrives on Wednesday, the recruit may not begin processing in until the following Monday.  BCT or Basic Combat Training is 10 weeks.  Those who have enlisted are referred to as "recruits" in this period to distinguish them from an officially enlisted soldier with the rank of private or E-1. 

AIT or Advanced Individual Training can be from 6 weeks to 52 weeks depending on the MOS (military occupation specialty) before being assigned to the first station or unit.  The individual may also be assigned to do OSUT (On Station Unit Training) that combines both the BCT and AIT portion of the training.  This is for specific MOS, such as 11B Infantry as well as armored units.  Those entering special forces training (18X) enter 11B OSUT training which is a total of 14 weeks

There are several problems with Mr. Snowden's story.  The first being the dates that the military indicates he was in service before discharge, the second being the time frames of known training, the third being the time that Mr. Snowden indicates in his post he was held in a "holding unit" and finally, that he claims his accident occurred during AIT which neither matches with the time schedules nor with the typical activities/education given in AIT depending on the MOS. 

The military says that Mr. Snowden arrived in June of 2004 and was given an administrative discharge, leaving by the end of September 2004.  This would be a total of 18 weeks or 3.5 months based on the typical beginning dates of the BCT Cycle that would be in mid June following the graduation of the last class.

Mr. Snowden says that he was held "for another month" for "shits and giggles".  This is actually the time period in which the decision for administrative discharge was being made and the process was being completed.  Taking this process backwards from Mr. Snowden's remarks and the approximate discharge date (here, we will approximate for calculation only) of September 30, detracting one month, that would have placed Mr. Snowden in the "holding unit" at approximately the end of August, 2004.  That would be approximately 10 to 11 weeks after Mr. Snowden's arrival to Fort Benning.  

Already Mr. Snowden is in trouble with his story because reception is 7-14 days (1 to 2 weeks) and BCT is 10 weeks for a total of 11 to 12 weeks before entering AIT.  If Mr. Snowden is in a holding unit at this time, it means that he could not have been in AIT when the alleged incident occurred. 

It could be that Mr. Snowden was in an OSUT that assumes both BCT and AIT, but even these are broken down into stages so that those recruits who are unable to pass BCT, for whatever reason, may be easily removed from the system before being accepted as an enlisted soldier with all of its benefits and the cost of additional, specialized training through AIT. 

Mr. Snowden does not say how long he was in the holding unit before being cleared and then proceeding to the discharge process phase.  Assuming that he is correct, that he broke both of his legs during training, the healing process for a broken leg is 6 to 10 weeks or up to 4 months depending on the severity of the break.  This may be longer if two limbs are involved or the breaks were compound or complicated. 

Giving Mr. Snowden the benefit of the doubt and the possibility that these were hairline fractures due to stress related injuries, that it may have taken as little as 6 weeks for the injuries to heal and be "cleared by the doctors", decreasing from an approximate end date of August 30, 2004, that would have put Mr. Snowden's injuries at or around the third week of July 2004.  This would be approximately 5 weeks after arrival at Fort Benning.

With 1 to 2 weeks in processing, given that it may have only taken 7 days,  that would place Mr. Snowden at the end of the first phase of BCT known as "Red Phase", lasting 3 weeks, or the very beginning of "White Phase" also lasting 3 weeks. 

Each phase is broken down into training weeks.  The first week of Red Phase is characterized as "total control":


meaning their every action is monitored and constantly corrected by drill sergeants. As may be expected, recruits are often subjected to group “corrective action” for even minor infractions. The purpose of red phase being to develop an acute attention to detail as well as foster a sense of common responsibility among the unit.
During this period, the recruits learn basic drill, fitness and participate in training activities such as the "bag drill" where all recruits' bags are emptied into a single pile and they must work together to find their belongings and place them in their personal bags within a specific time limit.  This is to develop the idea of "team work" within the new unit. 

By the second week, the recruits will be introduced to the "Victory Tower" or at Ft Benning "Eagle Tower" :


Victory Tower is an exercise where recruits must navigate through several obstacles at extreme heights, including climbing and traversing rope ladders and bridges. They must then rappel down a 50-foot wall (back-first, with rope harness).

Reading through the remaining training of Red Phase and those of White Phase, the two phases Mr. Snowden might have possibly been in during his injury, giving him the benefit of the doubt, this would be the most likely period and place.  Meaning that Mr. Snowden could not have completed basic training much less moved on to AIT

Mr. Snowden was 21 at the time that he posted his remarks on military processing.  He was in a forum with others who were discussing issues of military service.  The military and most military personnel, serving or retired, do not regard incomplete BCT as "soldiers", but as "recruits", unless the person has completed BCT and earned their initial rank of E-1 (enlisted) designating them as actual soldiers, airmen, marines or navy personnel. 

Administrative Discharges




A recruit can be discharged from the Army before the conclusion of Basic Training. Discharges that occur before the completion of 180 days (approximately 6 months) of training are considered uncharacterized, which are neither honorable nor less than honorable.
  • An Entry Level Separation (ELS) can occur when a recruit demonstrates unsatisfactory performance and/or misconduct. A recruit can only be ELSed after at least 4 weeks of training and 2 counseling sessions, except under extreme circumstances, such as the recruit being deemed suicidal.[32]
  • If it is found that a recruit is unable to train due to a chronic medical condition, he or she may obtain a medical discharge by the recommendation of an Army medical doctor.
  • A discharge due to any condition Existing Prior To Service (EPTS) may occur when a recruit is found to have a prior medical condition existing before enlistment. A recruit may receive a rare honorable discharge for an EPTS condition if they have been in Basic Training for more than 180 days.

A medical discharge is considered an administrative discharge depending on the person's years of service and condition.  Those who have completed less than 180 days of service are typically "administratively discharged". 

It is important to note the term "chronic medical condition".  Typically, injuries that heal and do not present long term conditions that might other wise hinder continued military service are not considered "chronic".  People in holding units from BCT may find themselves "cleared" and then "recycled" to another unit entering training either from the beginning or at the stage that the recruit had completed.  If an injury is severe enough to cause future problems with service, ie "chronic", they may be administratively discharged

If the injury is not "chronic", but the commanding officer deems the recruit's service has not met necessary standards, they may be administratively discharged after a process that includes discussing the issues with the recruit and having them sign documents that show it may hinder future employment.  Mr. Snowden would have been told at that time that the details of his discharge would not be public, only the condition of "administrative".  He would still be eligible for employment by the United States government.

It was reported that Mr. Snowden had dropped out of high school in his sophomore year due to an unspecified illness that prevented his timely return.  At the time that Mr. Snowden was posting this remark on Ars Technica, May 2006, he was a security technician at Maryland University and was attempting to be hired by the CIA as a Communications Officer.  He had only a GED and some college courses without a degree or certificates.  He also reported at that time that, prior to finding his job at MU, he had been unemployed for over a year and recovering from an illness. 

UPDATED:  Possible "Glandular Fever" or "Mono" in High School http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/02/10/edward-snowden-nsa-biography

On Ars Technica, Mr. Snowden comments about having to follow a special diet.  That he has problems gaining weight and maintaining muscle mass.  He won't drink coke or coffee, only water.  That it is difficult to "eat right" because he works the night shift and the only things open are fast food places.  Instead, he has to use the microwave and stock food in a cabinet such as canned chicken for a quick protein hit.  Beef products may have been outside of the diet as they are commonly linked with bacteria and other problems for people with digestive tract ailments

Mr. Snowden even remarks on these things while in Geneva, that he has to continue drinking water, (expensive at $5/bottle) and that reading food packages for content is made difficult because it is listed in kilojoules ("I am not a battery!").  He also regularly talks about his exercise programs which he tries to switch up or restart, usually during times of stress. 

While the dietary and exercise programs themselves do not make a cause for diagnosis, coupled with his repeated reports of illnesses (even in Hawaii he says he told them he had to take leave due to illness, but he said it was epilepsy, which is mother has and can be hereditary) as well as his anemic appearance (often caused by inability to absorb vitamins in the alimentary tract), could suggest a number of chronic illnesses.  Some that may have flared up when he was an adolescent, but were not completely diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed as a bacterial infection.  Many of these conditions are exacerbated under stress. 

If Mr. Snowden had an unreported or undiagnosed chronic illness at the time of recruitment that presented itself during BCT, he would have been placed in a holding unit, tests run to determine a valid diagnosis and determine if it was military related (which would provide a different discharge or possibly have Mr. Snowden held indefinitely in a holding unit until transferred to a medical facility), and then he would have been administratively discharged with a condition "Existing Prior To Service". 

CONFICTOR


It is unknown whether Mr. Snowden has a chronic illness or the actual reason he may have been discharged during basic training.  What is known is that Mr. Snowden has a habit of embellishing his stories in order to show himself in a better light, advance himself through his career (he lied or obfuscated on his resume including claiming 6 years experience in IT when he was only 22 and his educational background) or to add a tone of authority to his words ("I am a senior member of the intelligence community"; "I have been a spy almost all of my adult life"). 

Mr. Snowden even attempted to use this period and his "experiences" to paint the military and, by extension, the United States as nothing but Neanderthals who wanted "kill Arabs" not to help them, beginning, he suggests, his first disillusionment with government service.  Aside from the fact that Mr. Snowden may have, at most, spent an entire five weeks in reception and basic training, he also neglects to point out that the only people who were likely discussing "killing Arabs" were young men of his approximate age, in his training unit, with no previous service and who, like Mr. Snowden was and still is, were full of braggadocio. 

Instead of calling himself "VERAX", truth teller, Mr. Snowden should have used "CONFICTOR", a creator of fiction.

 Read Also:

Code Name "VERAX": Snowden Uncovered - The Geneva Decision

Code Name "VERAX": Snowden Uncovered (the movie-esque quality of Snowden Spy Craft)

Code Name "VERAX": Snowden Uncovered - In Context (The Big Picture)

Code Name "VERAX": Snowden Uncovered - Spy Wars and the Internet 2009

Idiot Wind: A Compendium of Snowden, WikiLeaks, Greenwald, Poitras and Appelbaum Topics

Ed v. Ed or How to Think About the Snowden Operation

Russian Intelligence is Behind the Snowden Show: German Intelligence

On Snowden and Coincidences

The End of the Snowden Operation

Edward Lucas:  The New Cold War

Edward Lucas: The Snowden Operation

Catherine Fitzpatrick: Privacy For Me and Not For Thee (Wikileaks and the Snowden Operation)

21 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Sorry. I was busy staring at goats. I didn't have time to stare at Mr. Snowden until now.

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  2. It's great you're burrowing into the tall tales of the faux deep-voiced Snowden. At some point given the wealth of material, I myself decided to leave aside his chat logs from 2009 which almost all taper off then except for a few posts later in 2010 and 2010, because I was concerned that they didn't yield enough insight about his current, recent hack and his friends in the hacking movement. That is, for example, I don't find my son's Runescape or World of Warcraft chat logs from years ago as very helpful clues to understanding him today.

    Of course, if you can show that Snowden was recruited as early as 2007 or 2009, which he might well have been, in all sorts of ways, including at Otakon (who knows) or even as a CIA false flag operation that went bad (no hypothesis should be left unturned, but some are not worth lingering on) -- then his chat and his stock market and his illnesses in 2009 matter.

    But as you point out, they matter anyway in assessing his ability to tell the truth and not embellish (weak at best, as we've established even just on basic things like his claims about PRISM.)

    So, some questions:

    1. Do you have military experience yourself, or are you drawing this from a relative's experience, or just from the Internet? Is it reliable?

    2. Epilepsy is not a disease you discover when you are 18 or 20 just joining the army. You discover it in childhood, don't you? How was it that an epileptic could even be accepted into the army in the first place? Or is there a policy I don't understand?

    3. Can you confirm that all these chat logs are now blocked, i.e. can't be accessed as they used to be only a few weeks ago? Has anyone saved them and put them online elsewhere?

    4. I'm still not sure what your ultimate message is here, or implication. That breaking his legs would not be sufficient reason for discharge, and some other chronic disease or even psychiatric condition was involved? Did the army not confirm his broken legs because they don't violate privacy as a matter of principle, or because maybe he never really broke his legs? How can you break both legs in training -- jumping from a plane in a parachute? or?

    Catherine Fitzpatrick

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  3. 1) I am familiar with the military. Also, most everything I've noted here is available as open source material which I've provided links to.

    2) Epileptics may present at any age. A quick search on the topic will provide a plethora of information. What I was most interested is whether it is hereditary. In up to 30% of children. (also open source). However, children of epileptics are also prone to other chronic and/or genetic disorders. There are also a number of diseases that are misdiagnosed in children that are later diagnosed after repeat episodes or onset of symptoms that can be exacerbated under stress. Thus my interest in Mr. Snowden dropping out of school for illness and his later remarks about recovering from an illness between his short stay in the military and his remarks on being unemployed for over a year before getting a job at MU that might suggest other reasons for his discharge. Unreported or undiagnosed conditions may go unnoticed during routine physical examination for military enlistment. To my knowledge, there are no blood tests for epilepsy and open source materials indicate this is diagnosed typically through observation and reporting symptoms over time. A chronic digestive disorder with only intermittent flare ups might present in blood tests as nothing more than a vitamin deficiency which is not enough to preclude military service as that is actually rather common due to modern diets. However, stress can cause exacerbation to conditions and cause a flare up. BCT is very stressful. Thus, possible, a previously undiagnosed condition may present itself in that time period.

    3) Not all of the chat logs are blocked. I've linked to some that are not. As far as I can tell, specific ones that Ars Technica noted "might be misconstrued". If you read the message from Snowden re: his photo shoot, you would note his comment on the photographer having "questionable associates" and the nature of photos. Mr. Snowden said he refused to take his clothes off.

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    1. 4) Ultimate message is to establish whether Mr. Snowden has a habit of prevaricating or rather that is a more recent behavior. In that way we can view or analyze his other remarks regarding events outside of his most recent activities and establish a pattern.

      To build timelines of events and experiences. A timeline can be used to intersect with other outside known events and may lead to narrowing down time frames where incidents may have occurred. Experiences may go to developing general attitude, behavior and decision making. Was Mr. Snowden motivated by ideology or possibly other personal issues like failing to achieve success or reach his personal goals within established systems?

      Marked changes in attitude and behavior within a specific time frame may also narrow down periods where outside events may have intersected.

      His reported injury is not absurd, but it is highly unusual. Studies, which can be found on the internet, indicate 60-80% of lower limb injuries are due to stress & impact from running (like shin splints, sprains, torn muscles) especially in "males with previously sedentary lifestyles" per one report. Besides Victory/Eagle tower, which are at heights and require climbing and rappelling, there are a few other high obstacles that a fall from could cause injury. There are safety measures in place to reduce injuries while not interfering with training.

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    2. As I noted in the above post, the military does not give specific information due to privacy laws. Mr. Snowden would have been informed of that and provided written information to that effect at discharge. The one thing I have not confirmed is whether the information of "medical discharge" is precluded due to privacy laws. Medical discharges, as noted, are classified as administrative discharges during BCT so this may be the case. Mr. Snowden would have also been informed that an administrative discharge (not dishonorable, but other than honorable) may impact his ability to be hired in certain occupations.

      Since Mr. Snowden used this very brief time in the military to suggest that all anyone wanted to do was "kill Arabs" and that this was his first disillusionment with the government system, it seemed important to look at what actually may have occurred in this time period. The same way that his remarks about Geneva suggested looking at that time period for possible events and motivations.

      Essentially, building a profile and timeline. There are possible other outside pressures and motivations that may lend to this that have not been explored. Family pressure, expectations, etc may place pressure on an individual to perform and excel. Routine failure to meet those expectations as well as personal goals, may increase pressure or a drive to validate the idea that the reasons for failure are not due to the individual's behavior or capabilities but outside forces beyond his or her control.

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  4. Not to expand this much further, but on the point of routine failures within established systems, Mr. Snowden as remarked re: his education that "the public school system turned it's retched, spiked back" on him. He carried this idea further throughout other remarks on Ars Technica, all the way into Geneva period where he remarks on the poor value of public school systems and that private schools are not much better. Goes to potential personal motivations re: failure to achieve within set systems. Govt employment, for instance, is not known for it's flexibility or creativity in advancements without meeting specific guidelines re: education, continued training certification and years in service. Something Mr. Snowden may have had a problem with in Geneva.

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  5. Thank you for this interesting and detailed blog. If I may, I'd like to address a couple of issues. To overcome the limit here of 4,096 characters per comment, I'll break it into two parts.

    First, the conflicting dates of Snowden's enlistment. As The Guardian pointed out,
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/10/edward-snowden-army-special-forces
    Snowden in his Hong Kong interview last summer gave the year as 2003, whereas the Army states his service began on May 7, 2004.

    What Snowden said was:
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/08/edward-snowden-video-interview
    "I enlisted in the Army shortly after the invasion of Iraq," which occurred from March 20–May 1, 2003.

    This is consistent with his Sept. 8, 2003 Ars Technica post:
    http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=636292&p=12040667#p12040667
    "I appreciate the Buddhist belief system, and in fact I even marked that as my 'religion' on my Army paperwork."

    Given a timeframe of March to Sept. for Snowden's enlistment (i.e., signing on the dotted line at his recruiter's office), it's likely the Army was swamped with applicants. Remember, back then, the U.S. invasion still seemed gloriously triumphant. (The statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled on April 9, 2003.) Moreover, Snowden applied to the Army Reserve, which typically has much longer waiting lists than the regular Army. It's therefore no stretch to infer that he signed up during the spring or summer of 2003 but did not start training until May 7, 2004.

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  6. Second, the same Guardian article identified Snowden as a "so-called 18X candidate," for whom "training is a rigorous physical and mental challenge lasting 14 weeks."
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/10/edward-snowden-army-special-forces
    The Army confirms that Special Forces Candidates (18X) "attend Infantry One Station Unit Training, which combines Army Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training in a 14-week course."
    http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/intelligence-and-combat-support/special-forces-candidate.html
    Note that under this program, BCT and AIT are not conducted separately but are combined into a single 14-week course.

    Brian Witte's June 15, 2013 Associated Press article that you cite says: "Snowden reported to Fort Benning, Ga., in June 2004."
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765632149/AP-IMPACT-Snowdens-life-surrounded-by-spycraft.html?pg=all
    Since his service began on May 7, this one-month gap suggests that he'd completed the BCT portion of his combined BCT/AIT course at a post other than Fort Benning, and was now entering the AIT phase—during which, as he wrote at Ars Technica on May 13, 2006,
    http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=308196&p=6751983#p6751983
    "both of my legs were broken."

    In the same Ars Technica entry, Snowden adds, "They held on to me until the doctors cleared me to be discharged, and then after being cleared they held onto me for another month just for shits and giggles."

    Stipulating his discharge date of Sept. 28 as reported by The Guardian,
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/10/edward-snowden-army-special-forces
    and assuming he was injured during his first month of AIT, Snowden could have spent part (perhaps most) of June, all of July and most of August awaiting medical clearance.

    "Giving Mr. Snowden the benefit of the doubt," you write, "and the possibility that these were hairline fractures due to stress related injuries, it may have taken as little as 6 weeks for the injuries to heal."
    The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons confirms,
    orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00112
    "More than 50% of all stress fractures occur in the lower leg. The most important treatment is rest. Individuals need to rest from the activity that caused the stress fracture, and engage in a pain-free activity during the six to eight weeks it takes most stress fractures to heal."

    Accordingly, under this scenario, Snowden would indeed have had the requisite 6 to 8 weeks from June through August for his injuries to heal, and still have had the additional month of Sept. "just for shits and giggles."

    Thanks again for your stimulating blog.

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    1. Thank you for your comments. I never considered the issue of when he "enlisted" v when he actually arrived. For purposes of being "in the military", being processed through receiving & into a training unit is the "official" start date and you are correct regarding the some times long wait. 6 to 18 mos in some cases, depending on when they enlisted v available slots and BCT starting dates. Particularly for specialty programs.

      On the OSUT, I was given to understand, while the BCT and AIT are "combined", they are still run consecutively as opposed to concurrently. As noted, so if the recruit is unable to pass the physical aspects of BCT or "are not compatible with military life", they may be "administratively discharged" before investing in further training.

      One thing I was interested in was the "cleared" aspect because post injury "healing" often has the soldier assigned "light duty" for additional time period which can be a few days to several weeks. I could not verify the nature of Mr. Snowden's injury so I couldn't determine whether this was included in his time frames or not.

      In which case, as you note, its possible he could have been injured within days of arriving on campus and he could have spent almost the entire period of his "enlistment" in a holding unit. Since it's unlikely Mr. Snowden will sign a release for his service records, we probably won't know unless it becomes part of an actual court trial as part of evidence. And, in reality, I don't see that happening unless they determine to use that as proof that Mr. Snowden falsified applications in order to enter other government service. Again, unlikely, as an "administrative discharge" does not preclude other government service.

      This may remain a bit of a mystery.

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  8. Yes, it's true that in 18X Infantry One Station Unit Training, BCT and AIT run consecutively. But as I commented above, the weeks from May 7 (when his service began) through June (when he reported to Fort Benning) would account for his BCT portion, which Snowden obviously completed successfully—otherwise he wouldn't have been forwarded to Ft. Benning for AIT.

    Given his discharge date of Sept. 28, Snowden spent a total of 145 days in the Army. If we assume he recuperated for 6 weeks from July through August, plus another 30 "just for shits and giggles" (total = 72 days), we could place his injury on or about July 19.

    Accordingly, his pre-injury service would have amounted to at most 74 days.

    If so, it's certainly untrue that, in your words, "he could have spent almost the entire period of his 'enlistment' in a holding unit." It was more likely about half of his enlistment. And there's no need to place enlistment in scare quotes. He may have been an unsuitable soldier, but he did in fact enlist.

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    2. Quote marks were simply to denote when he was received in for basic training to begin service as opposed to when he signed his papers back in 2003, not a reference to his service, good or bad, not scary.

      Sorry, I missed the reference to May 7 "entering service" all other reports are saying June, but I suppose they are referencing arriving at Ft Benning. Although, it would be odd for him to have been at a different base for BCT because, according to people who have been through the training, you go to Ft Benning and do both. IE OSUT "one station".

      So, May 7 is an interesting date. II'll double check that. .

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    3. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blmepslocations.htm

      And the answer is....MEPS. Military Entrance Processing which is separate from receiving process at BCT. I knew I was forgetting something.

      http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/f/faqmeps.htm

      2 trips. Could take 2 to 3 weeks prior to being sent on to the place where the person will be doing training. And, yes, OSUT BCT/AIT all takes place at Ft Benning. Which means he would have still been in his BCT section when injured as noted above, approximately 21-30 days in since BCT does not begin until mid June after the last class graduates. .

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  12. Please forgive my multiple false starts in posting this comment. Continuing research yielded additional information.

    I found two separate sources for Snowden's enlistment date of May 7, 2004. While the wording from an Army spokesman is identical (suggesting a script), each article indicates that the reporter heard from the Army directly. One says the spokesman responded to The Guardian by email
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/10/edward-snowden-army-special-forces
    and the other says an Army official told POLITICO.
    http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/edward-snowden-army-discharge-92486.html
    So it's fair to take these as independent confirmations.

    As for Military Entrance Processing, the initial trip to MEPS is for most applicants a two-day process.
    http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/mepsglance.htm
    The second trip to MEPS is for final processing and takes only a day, at the end of which the recruit ships out to basic training.
    http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/secondmeps.htm
    It's significant that the recruit does not swear to The Oath of Enlistment, and thus become an official member of the U.S. military, until the end of this second phase of MEP.
    http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/secondmeps_3.htm

    You are therefore doubly mistaken in postulating that (a) "beginning May 7, Mr. Snowden would have been reporting to MEPS" and (b) "the beginning of this period is the 'official' enlistment date."

    May 7—his official enlistment date—marked the end of Snowden's MEP, not the beginning. That's when he swore his oath and left for BCT.

    Which brings us to Brian Witte's AP article saying, "Snowden reported to Fort Benning, Ga., in June 2004."
    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-impact-snowdens-life-surrounded-spycraft

    What are we to make of this one-month gap? I can't find any confirmation that Snowden arrived at Ft. Benning in June. (I've tweeted a request for clarification to @APBrianWitte.) Witte cites an Army spokesman, but his direct quotation does not include the reporting date. If Witte misunderstood what Col. Patterson said, Snowden might well have arrived for BCT as early as May 7.

    In that event, Snowden could have completed the 10-week course by July 15 and, consistent with OSUT, proceeded immediately to AIT merely by switching barracks. As I mentioned in a previous comment, assuming that his injury occurred on or about July 19 would give him a total 72 days for physical recuperation (42 days) and what he called "shits and giggles" (30 days) before being discharged on Sept. 28.

    So the only support for your insistence that Snowden was still in BCT when injured comes from a single article that says Snowden reported to Ft. Benning in June but does not jibe with his enlistment date.

    Until this ambiguity is resolved, I must respectfully reject your derogatory characterization of Snowden's military service as "inflated."

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    1. I'm still looking into that. Per conversations w/ others who have gone through process they believe this is accurate in terms of first MEPS as described above is actual date of "enlistment" (IE, finish tests, physical, etc, take oath) before next step and, per two individuals, their own 2nd MEPS (preparing to go to camp for BCT) was actually five weeks later. That this varied among those reporting.

      As a personal reference, recruit I knew took 3 weeks between so I don't find this unusual or surprising to be true or accurate depiction of probable process prior to arriving on base for actual training. Even after arriving for 2nd MEPs section, ended up staying at a motel for 3 days waiting for other recruits to arrive for group travel.

      Of course, to date, I have seen no other reporting or questions on this as it does not seem to spur interest so verification may be difficult except by exploring other similar reports and the fact that the military spokesman said he did not report until June. Again, not out of the ordinary per personal experiences reported.

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