When US Army Sgt. Special Forces soldier Jamie Morris applied for a concealed carry permit. His local sheriff’s office contacted him about several arrests on his criminal record. Morris was confused: he was never arrested. But his file showed that he had been arrested on several charges, including serious sexual contact and manslaughter and negligent homicide. His troubles began in 2017, when he was stationed in Mali with several other members of various US special operations forces. Four members of the Special Operations Forces killed a fifth during that deployment. All have been convicted or found guilty. Two of them alleged that Morris authorized the hazing of the man who was killed. But their stories contradicted each other, and the others denied that Morris had any involvement. That didn’t stop the Army Criminal Investigation Division from giving Morris a title. That’s a process by which a soldier’s file is marked, even if he was never charged. On background checks, this shows up as an arrest, and it usually ends a soldier’s chances of promotion. A soldier is never even aware of it unless he applies for a concealed carry permit or a job that requires a background check.
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