DALLAS (AP) - A Colorado congressman has written Defense Secretary Robert Gates seeking answers in the case of a Texas man who tricked the Army into allowing him to enter the reserves as a noncommissioned officer.
The letter from Republican Mike Coffman on Monday follows an Associated Press story detailing how Jesse Bernard Johnston, 26, gained the rank despite no military experience other than attending part of a Marine officer candidate course in college.
The letter says Coffman, an ex-Marine, has obtained a copy of a phony Marine discharge document that may have been used by Johnston when he enlisted in the Army.
It cites national security concerns and calls the Army's lack of verification "both stunning and frightening."
A Pentagon spokeswoman said she couldn't immediately comment.
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