National Guard Troops Denied Benefits After Longest Deployment Of Iraq War
When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush’s surge.
1st Lt. Jon Anderson said he never expected to come home to this: A government refusing to pay education benefits he says he should have earned under the GI bill.
“It’s pretty much a slap in the face,” Anderson said. “I think it was a scheme to save money, personally. I think it was a leadership failure by the senior Washington leadership… once again failing the soldiers.”
Anderson’s orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days.
Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school.
This version of the story has a CNN video.
I can’t see this standing up for long. It’s just too obvious.
But, we support the troops.
We also support poor, sick kids. These two groups seem to be getting the same type of “support”.
Geez, that is just plain pathetic. A few bucks for tuition seems incredibly petty considering the cost of the war.
I don’t know how the army works, but this is a matter of policy for the active duty Air Force. If you get orders to Iraq or Afghanistan, don’t expect them to past 179 days. Why? Because on day 180 it’s considered a change of station, so they absolutely do this to save money. It would bankrupt the government if they didn’t pull this crap. Come hell or high water, they’ll get you home on day 179. It’s because of this $h!^ I got out.
The Iraq war has already cost as much as 11x the estimate for a manned trip to Mars. They are pinching pennies everywhere they can.
#5 The Army works exactly the same way, and for exactly the same reason – to save money. Guaranteed that if a law, rule, policy, or directive says after ‘n’ days, the effected person gets, orders will be written for ‘n-1’ days.
And there is nothing illegal with that. All Congress would have to do is to rewrite the laws for 700 days before GI benefits, and then the orders would suddenly be 699 days.
#5 the government is already bankrupt.
The Marine Corps has similar rules. Although it’s been explained to me, that those rules were put into place to prevent troops from being in a combat zone for too long (or in the field, or over seas).
Because it’s going to cost the Corps an arm and a leg to keep you there past X number of days, they are eager to get you back home quickly. It’s supposed to be for your benefit.
Of course it can backfire, and just screw the troops.
Join the National Guard!
Only one weekend a month and one month a year.
Get training!
Build educational benefits!
Serve your LOCAL community in times of emergency!
Is there anyone remaining that believes that bullshit?
Doesn’t everyone know that the Guard is the last on the list when it comes to military expenditures, benefits, fair treatment, etc.
There are no perks to being in the guard… it used to be a refuge for people like Bush to avoid real military service (and he didn’t even finish that), but now it’s just military service on the cheap.
Ask the National Guard about VA health benefits… slim to none also.
Things sure have changed. I spent 10 yrs in the Army National Guard 1982-1991 and all I had to have to qualify was 180 consecutive days of active duty. I still got screwed though. Because my service was during peace time I never got those 180 consecutive days. I guess if I would have stayed in I might have but it sure is a big jump from only needing 180 days in 1991 to 730 days now!
That was supposed to say 1981-1991.
I think using the National Guard to do the work of regulars is WAY out of line. I do believe state governors have to sign off for the feds to be able to use them. So, maybe it’s time state militias (that would be the National Guard ifn ya didn’t know) stop taking money from the federal government. That goes for school funding too. The feds only have authority the states grant them in this regard; the feds give states money for control of their militia and school system. It doesn’t have to be this way. We could pay less fed tax and more local tax and get control back from these assholes in federal government.
They started using the N.G. way back in King Ronnie’s reign, because it was easier than declaring an actual war and getting congressional approval to send troops into some trouble spot. But it also became clear that it didn’t cost the Pentagon as much money, because the States picked up most of the cost of their N.G. So the Pentagon gets to have its cake and eat it to, by deferring the real costs of wars from it official annual budget. The States are picking to rest of it, when their Guard is used as much (or more) than the regular troops are. It’s all a big dodge. Just like the recruiters, the whole thing is run by a bunch of used car salesmen. So it’s ironic that while the Prez and his Generals can’t fix a date for the end of the Iraq war. Then can always work out this “one day short” deal for individual solders. Seems like a lot of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, just to avoid a small benefit payout. Meanwhile billions of dollars gets wasted on defense project overrun costs and such. And the Pentagon beancounters don’t seem to have any motivation to call a haul to that! It’s just accepted as Business as usual. Like the latest TIME article about the V22 Osprey.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1665835,00.html
I’m currently in the National Guard (out of desperation for a job) and I get no medical benefits. If I was a part timer I would be eligible, but as a full time federal technician temp they don’t even offer benefits.
These problems, and others like them, are really just giant neon signs indicating the U.S. has been fighting the war on a shoestring budget. Sure, amount spent looks big to the common folks, but apparently, the people in charge couldn’t figure out how to pay out all the benefits and still keep the war going after all. (I guess they got away with it during WWII because of the high casualty counts… Death benefits are probably cheaper…)
So, anti-war protesters should go out and DEMAND that all military personnel gets the FULL benefits they deserve. It’s the only way to stop the war without seeming “unpatriotic.”
In response to the story about the soldiers just one day short of the G.I. bill. Thank You for that story. My daughter, Christina served just three days short of her contract, this told to her after she applied for the benefits. The military assured her on her exit interview she qualified for her benefits. The reason she enlisted right out of high school was for the college benefits. When she applied for them she was denied, and told she was three days short. She then signed up for the Army reserves and 9/11 hit. She was activated, sent to Guantanamo Bay and then on the ground in Iraq. She is Army Intelligence and served for about Seven years total. The G. I. bill would sustain her and her son while she goes to college, she is a single parent and the government has stated she is three days short to qualify for benefits. We have been to our Congressman and have received NO help. I feel the government has robbed my daughter of her benefits and at the very least should repay her the money she paid into the G.I. bill. I believe my daughter Christina is not the only victim of this administration. Please HELP.
Thank You
Bonnie Doherty