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 types"  Edward 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

Discharge from Basic Training

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)