Sometimes a Kick in the Fanny is the Best Medicine by Col. Bob Pappas, USMC,
Ret.
The recent revelation that the Army was collecting a pro rata share of
combat bonuses from soldiers who were injured and unable to complete their
combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan is indicative of the mentality that too
often pervades the bureaucrats in the Pentagon.and elsewhere in Washington.
Although it is unclear at this point who the culprit is, it is the height of
either ignorance or bureaucratic "B.S." that American Veterans who are
awarded combat bonuses for their voluntary service, and are injured enough
to warrant evacuation and termination of their combat duty are then served
with collection notices for the unfinished portion of their tours of duty.
In some cases unused leave is zeroed out to partially offset the "debt."
It would come as no surprise if Dr. David Chu, Under Secretary of Defense
(Personnel and Readiness) were the culprit. Whether Dr. Chu personally
issued the directive to collect, or it was some bootlicking subordinate, Dr.
Chu is no friend of military personnel. Chu is a Machiavellian, backstabbing
appointed careerist bureaucrat who should be tarred, feathered and run out
of Washington. Rather than have the cajones to go to the Congress for the
funds needed to properly fund military manpower programs and issues, Chu
finds funding by cutting active and retiree military personnel benefits, or
increasing the costs for access to those benefits. In another of his little
games, Chu pits active forces versus retirees before the Congress in an
effort to redirect retiree benefits. Great guy this Chu.
While the President and Congress were on their wild spending spree in the
early years of the Bush Administration, great fiscal conservatives these
Republicans, Chu did nothing to improve the overall lot of military members
and retirees. Rather, Chu, the Secretary of Defense, the President and the
Congress were abject, unmitigated numb skulls when it came to "taking care
of our own."
During the years when there was a Republican Congress and Administration,
they had the opportunity to practice the true Conservative message of taking
care of the troops, but no, they and their Democrat "co-conspirators" were
more interested in flooding the individual and corporate welfare system,
doling out billions of dollars in make work contracts, unnecessary price
supports, and flooding the budget with "earmarks" that were shameful and
gluttonous, all to take care of their respective constituencies.
Now the economic chickens are coming home to roost, and guess who will be
asked to "invest their share" to pay for it? It sure as hell won't be the
Careerists in Congress, although it may include careerist bureaucrats.
The Veteran's Administration makes much ado about its progress in taking
care of Veterans, just read the VA report, but it is pathetically lacking in
human terms. Of course there are good people in the VA, without a doubt
there are genuinely caring, underpaid and overworked people who do their
utmost to care for America's Veterans, but the kind of non-sense embodied in
the recent revelation about the services recouping combat bonuses, shows
that there is a deep seated bias against the very people who volunteer to
protect them from those who would destroy them and this nation.
Every time there is a fiscal issue, every single Administration as far back
as I can remember, immediately looked to military members and retirees to
absorb the cuts. During the sixties and seventies there was a concerted
effort to erode the benefits of military members to the point that
recruiting was problematic and the Draft was nigh impossible. So, when the
All Volunteer Force (AVF) came along with its targeted bonuses, some thought
that it was the panacea for all recruiting ills.
The AVF worked well in the relative peace that ensued. But, now, without the
"American Foreign Legion" i.e. "immigrants" legal or otherwise, Reserves,
Guard, and women the vaunted AVF would collapse. Then there are those
backstabbing members of Congress who want the Draft because they know that
given their experience from the '60s the streets would fill with those who
might be confronted with, "ask not what your country can do for you rather
ask what you can do for your country."
So far only one so called, "journalist" from the "land of fruits and nuts"
that I know about has had the gall to refer to active military members as
"mercenaries. " One can bet a paycheck that there are hundreds of the same
ilk but without the cajones to do the same. What those pathetic ignoramuses
don't know or appreciate is that their little pink, brown, black, yellow or
red behinds are being protected by men and women whose boots they are not
worthy to lick, whose courage they do not have, and one of them has more
patriotism than the entire entertainment and media industries combined.
Until we begin electing patriots who are more interested in this country
than being political careerists like Senator Trent Lott (good riddance), or
US Representative Jeff Miller and all but a handful of the 535 members of
Congress, Veterans will continue to be castoffs rather than rewarded with
the honor, respect and care that is they have earned and truly deserve.
Until we elect patriots who will put first those who make this country
possible through their voluntary and dedicated service, the Dr. Chus in the
bureaucracy, whether Republican or Democrat will treat service members like
so many chattel. Dr. Chu may be the world's greatest mathematician, but he
is about as concerned for the very people he manages as Hitler was of the
Jews.
Now, for those highly paid elected and civil servants for whom it is just a
job, get off your asses and begin taking care of the troops! Get it!!!?
Strong letter follows!
Semper Fidelis,
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Copyright C November 27th, 2007, by Robert L. Pappas. With proper
attribution, this essay may be quoted and redistributed. It may not be used
in any way, in conjunction with any advertisement without the author's
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