Additional Findings by the DOD Inspector General of America Supports You (ASY) Corruption

According to the DoD Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO)

SOCO Guidance to America Supports You Leadership was Ignored

The Deputy Assistant Secretary, ASY, consulted Standards of Conduct Office attorneys between 2003 and 2005 relating to solicitation, fundraising, and endorsement. In June 2004, the Deputy Assistant Secretary, ASY e-mailed SOCO:

Issue: Overseas, [DoD] make[s] troops buy a digital receiver for their televisions so they can see AFRTS [American Forces Radio and Television Service]. If they live on base, it is free but if we don’t have base housing for them, we make them buy the receiver. It is a few hundred dollars. I would like to provide the boxes free of charge, the DoD would own them and loan them out to the deployed troop. The cost of this is a one-time charge of $55 million dollars . . .[the DOD] Comptroller isn’t interested in coughing up that much money right now.

So here is [the] question [Allison Barber asked] Is there a way for me to make this situation known [sic] to corporate America and offer them the option of “sponsoring” a receiver? So the receiver might have a sticker on it that says “brought to you by Sears” [Emphasis added by DOD/IG]

The SOCO attorney responded to America Supports You, “Of course, you may not solicit anyone, especially corporate America, to sponsor the receivers. That’s a no-no.”

QUESTION: How many Uniformed Military Officers and NCOs working within the America Supports You hierarchy, if any! Knew that many of the things they were tasked to do was a no-no and violation of DOD Regulations and laws? Most important how many Uniformed Public Affairs Officers and NCOs spoke out or questioned the inappropriateness of what they were being told to do? Major Hanafin

In September 2005, the DAS ASY e-mailed Standards of Conduct about DoD participation at a check presentation for a PGA TOUR fundraising event [Birdies for the Brave].

The America Supports You program manager wrote that, “The PGA, as you know, has been doing fundraisers for different military charities. They would like to present a token check to a senior Pentagon person at their yearend event. The check would be symbolic of the money they have donated to military charities. So it isn’t an actual check it is more of a demonstration of what has happened. They raised over $300,000 for the military charities?

Is a senior DOD person allowed to accept the “check”. To be clear, the money has already been donated so the person won’t be accepting any money at all. [The SOCO saw this as attempts by America Supports You to do an endrun around Pentagon ethics rules-Major Hanafin] The SOCO attorney responded to America Supports You leadership that a DoD representative could acknowledge the PGA’s contribution but could not endorse or solicit funds. Specifically, the attorney stated: A senior DoD person could certainly thank the PGA for providing funds that will benefit members of the Armed Forces. This DoD representative could not endorse the PGA or solicit funds, but could acknowledge their contribution. Since the check is not real, he or she is not acting as an agent for the military relief societies, nor should it appear so. A better milieu would be for the DoD representative to thank the PGA and stand on the perimeter [sidelines] of the presentation of the bogus check to a representative of the military relief societies.You also mentioned that this will occur at the PGA year-end event. Is this event appropriate for DoD to participate in? Is it a fundraiser? [Emphasis added by DOD/IG]

The real question that needs further impartial investigation or even DOD can do it: is did the $300,000 donation actually go to long established military relief societies [Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine related Aid Societies] or did the donation go toward advertising both the PGS and America Supports You.mil logo and related admin overhead? Where did the donation actually go? Major Hanafin sent this question to DOD/IG.

Come on folks – THINK! – if corporate America supports Our Troops and Veterans so much, then why is Corporate America not donating the time, money, and assets to America Supports You for FREE? Why do Our Troops and America’s tax payers need to PAY FOR SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS AT ALL?

America Support You Leaders Violate DOD Ethics Regulations

Joint Ethics Regulation 3-210 requires that “DoD employees shall not officially endorse or appear to endorse membership drives or fundraising for any non-Federal entity except for organizations that have special authority (that is, the Combined Federal Campaign).

Joint Ethics Regulation 3-209 requires that DoD or its employees in their official
capacities may neither state nor imply endorsement of a non-Federal entity, event,
product, service, or enterprise. Specifically, the Regulation states that Endorsement of a non-Federal entity, [corporation such as PGA] event, product, service, or enterprise may be neither stated nor implied by DoD or DoD employees in their official capacities and titles, positions, or organization names [America Supports You.mil] may not be used to suggest official endorsement or preferential treatment of any non-Federal entity… [Emphasis added by DOD/IG]

Soliciting or Building Support for ASY Program in Violation of DOD Ethics Standards

Table 1 shows the different contracts and amount spent by fiscal year for public relations support.

Table 1. Public Relations Contract Payments to Susan Davis International

Source: DOD/IG Report on America Supports You

Instead of focusing on its primary mission of showcasing and communicating support to our troops and their families, the America Supports You.mil program focused has been on building or soliciting support from the public for ASY. The initial contract awarded on September 30, 2004, to SDI required the contractor to recognize and “build” support for the U.S Armed Forces. [Not the ASY Program]

Specifically, [the ASY-SDI contract] statement of objective stated:
To recognize, build and communicate America’s support for the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces through a six-month national awareness campaign entitled “America Supports You.” [Emphasis added by DOD/IG]

If the Pentagon has to pay corporate America to Support Our Troops, why should the Pentagon even consider endorsing any corporation for free. Let’s start charging corporate America for US supporting, protecting, and defending them. That would be about as ethical as what the Pentagon has been doing? Major Hanafin

Hold an America Supports You Freedom Walk at your school [The ASY Freedom Walk poster published in the DOD/IG Report clearly shows a Weekly Reader logo on it in violation of ethics rules against DoD – Corporate endorsements].

For example, the January 11, 2006, agreement provided for an ASY supplement to the Weekly Reader Issue 25, dated May 5, 2006, that openly solicited children to thank the troops, organize an ASY Freedom Walk at their school, and to join the ASY program. Specifically, the supplement stated:

Hold an America Supports You Freedom Walk at your school

That’s right; kids can even hold an America Supports You Freedom Walk at your school. By working [on] with your principal and teachers, you can be involved in creating a special event that helps all of your classmates remember what happened in our country on September 11, 2001. And it’s a chance to say thank you to all of our veterans, past and present, for protecting your freedoms. [Emphasis added by DOD/IG]

The children’s supplement also contained a checklist, which included the date of the walk, for students to talk with principals/teachers, pick a walk location, time, length of walk, and to advertise the walk. Similarly, in August 2007, the ASY program sent letters to educators at elementary and secondary schools to help organize and promote Freedom Walks from school children as well as outline the accomplishments of a 10-year-old child who had organized a Freedom Walk in his Ohio hometown [

Figure 1. ASY Poster Soliciting Support From Schools

All Sources: Based on DOD/IG Report on America Supports You.mil

My next post will be on ASY soliciting (sounds like Prostitution) Corporate sponsorship in violation of DOD Ethical Standards. Have a Great VT Day – Today and EVERY DAY!