Here are just a couple of problems I have with it the Army WCAP for track and field/marathon.
1.) I don't actually have a problem with them being Kenyan. This country is built from immigrants and we should be proud of that. I have no problem with Kenyans gaining citizenship and eventually competing for the US. The problem I have with the Army WCAP is that only a select few know what the real army life is like. They have not made any real sacrifices that is required in order to serve in the military. They have never served in a real military unit. A unit that does ruck marches at 0630, goes to M4/M16 range during the day, and provides counseling for their Soldiers that they lead. They haven't done any field exercises to YTC, NTC, or JRTC for weeks or months(3-4 times a year) at a time where they are training for combat. Do you know what is Paul Chelimo's MOS(military occupational specialty, basically his job within the Army and each Solider has one and it's not being a pro runner)? No. Can he tell you what that MOS does in the Army and how they are used in combat? No. He did go to basic and AIT but he has never served in that position in the Army. Any Soldier will tell you that basic, AIT, and BOLC is very different from being in an active military unit. The majority of the Army WCAP runners have only been a runner while in the Army.
2.) You might be thinking to yourself "Well you can't compete at such a high level and also serve in a real military unit". I agree with you to a certain extent. The amount of hours each Solider works is incredibly high and stressful and the schedule is not conducive to running. But there have been plenty of Soldiers that have done this. Kibet is a great example. He served in a real military unit and deployed to Kuwait. He got up before PT to go for runs, ran during his lunch break or late after work at 8pm because the mission wasn't complete yet. Kibet came back from a 9 month deployment in Kuwait and ran a 2:11 marathon!! He did his real military job while in the Army first and then competed as a runner in the Army. Robert Cheseret was enlisted, ran on the WCAP program, completed the green to gold program, now he is an Armor officer(I believe), served as a Platoon Leader, and after working hard is back on the Army WCAP program. Those are the type of Soldiers I want to see on the program and there are many of the them out there. They are struggling to hit the times required to be on the program due to the stress of being in an active military unit. Why not give them an opportunity to compete for the Army WCAP. A few years ago(prior to 2009 I believe), Soldiers that were close to the standard were given 12-18 months to compete for the WCAP full time and train to hit the standard for the Olympic trials. If they couldn't during that time, they went back to an active military unit.
3.) Another problem I have with the Army WCAP is that it seems like it doesn't follow their own rules. Below are quotes from Army Regulation 215-1.
- "Applicants must sign an agreement to incur 1 additional year of their service obligation for each year serving in the WCAP program." I know of some Army WCAP runners that did not follow this rule.
- "WCAP will release Soldier-athletes shortly after the conclusion of the Olympic Games for which they are training. WCAP will release Soldiers who do not qualify for the Olympic Games when it is known they will not be named to the Olympic team." Not all 18 of the current Army WCAP runners were released after the Olympic Games since not all 18 went to the Olympic Games.
- "All Soldiers assigned to WCAP will receive and sign a memorandum outlining requirements to maintain their military careers while assigned to the program. National rankings and international competition will not interfere with normal military progression. All WCAP personnel are Soldiers first." I truly don't know if these Soldiers are following the normal military progression. They enter the Army as a Specialist but are they taking the necessary steps to be promoted to the next rank? That last statement is very powerful too. As much as you want to think that these guys are true Soldiers, they are not. They are runners who have "Army" written on their singlet. If WWIII occurs, they will be called upon to serve in an active military unit but they are by no means ready and trained to fight in combat.
I do want to end with the fact that I have met many of the Army WCAP runners and they are fantastic individuals. They are humble, hard working, and have every right to compete for the US. I am just upset on how the Army WCAP is supporting and recruiting their team. You don't see this in other WCAP programs(Navy, Air Force, Marines, etc.). The WCAP is meant to promote the military. But if you tried to have a conversation with many of the Army WCAP runners, could they intelligently answer and promote the military? Can they tell you what the average Soldier does each day and the sacrifices they are making to defend this nation. Sadly, the answer is no. Right now they are runners and not Army Runners.