Pentagon Docking Pay of Wounded and Disabled Iraq War U.S. Solders!

[Up2Late]

This is VERY infuriating. The Pentagons Pay system is so Screwed up, they are docking the pay of wounded and disabled Iraq War Soldiers while they are still recovering in the Hospital. :banghead: :mad:

One Former Captain says in this report, out of 123 Wounded/injured and evacuated 1st Armored Division solders, 82% had "Significant pay problems..." The Pentagon created an "artificial Debt of $7700 and shorted them by $2400 while they were recovering in the Hospital.

One Soldier was declared AWOL while he was recovering in a Chicago Hospital, and was not payed for 3 months.

(more info at the links below)

This is an Audio story from NPR, if anyone is good at transcribing even a little of this story, it would help those who have trouble listening to RealAudio or Windows Media Player files (I think WinAmp will play them too if you copy and paste the link)

Pay Problems Plague Returning Soldiers

Listen to this story...(at link below)
by Eric Niiler

All Things Considered, October 14, 2005 · Many wounded soldiers are fighting another battle at home: dealing with pay problems created by the military. In many cases, the Army is "adding" debt to soldiers' paychecks. The problem has continued for years despite government inquiries and complaints by veterans groups.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4959370>

[In Truth We Trust]

1. Kicked and Nominated. Deplorable assholes. We must insist on change NOW!!

[lpbk2713]

2. Literally adding insult to injury.

I hope they can recover from their injuries because the VA sure as hell won't take care of them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Well they Do love the troops you know

:sarcasm:

[longship]

4. Bush supports the trupes.

nt

[az chela]

5. And so it goes

My son was in the care of the VA and because of their
negligence he had to have his foot amputated and then 7
surguries to try and save his leg.After 4 years of them
messing around and putting him on all kinds of pain medicine
they gave him methadone for the pain.He died after taking 2
pills.There was no other drugs or alcohol in his system.They
kept giving him large amounts of morphine and since that didnt
kill him they switched to the methadone.One less disability
check for them.I read on the internet that methadone is very
dangerous and a lot of people have died from it.According to
the autopsy he was in excellent health.
If the soldiers that are coming back from Iraq need medical
treatment they need to challenge them on every thing they
do,or dont do. 

[Neil Lisst]

6. I'm so sorry for your loss, az chela

It's unfortunately the sad tale of how many young, badly injured soldiers struggle in their post-military days, with inadequate help from those who promised to always hold him high.

How quickly they set down the wounded, and return to their golf games.


http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. And it is people like you and yoru son

that makes us redouble our efforts, nobody should loose a child to medical incompetence, and we should treat our vets as well as everybody else, they need to to be honored.

:hug:

[Up2Late]

8. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Good to see you here, we all want...

...stories like yours and these stories from the poor, wounded Vets that are coming home today to Stop now. These are infuriating times.

:grouphug:

[Jackpine Radical]

9. What a terrible, tragic, needless loss you suffered.

YOu have my deepest sympathy.

[mod mom]

10. Once the soldiers are no longer an asset the Cons throw them aside.

DESPICABLE!

[PurityOfEssence]

14. Americans despise the weak

For all of our good traits as a people, we are disgusting bullies: we worship power, money and fame, and we hate the weak. Someone who's been wounded is somehow an inferior in the psyche of many, and this is grotesque. It's not that they're not of any use anymore and are to be thrown aside like a broken hand tool, it's that there's something somehow wrong with them or they wouldn't be in that position.

It just doesn't get much more deeply wrong than this. Those who fight for our country and get wounded should be entitled to free medical care for the rest of their lives, and should be helped to get back into the swing of things.

[indepat]

11. Just another example of the culture of corruption: absolute power

corrupts absolutely and the Congress and the MSM know of almost all of this vast corruption, yet do very little except enable it.

[converted_democrat]

12. Despicable........n/t

[nashville_brook]

13. i heard this -- outrageous! our troops deserve better!

some of the soldiers have had collections after them. it's an evil machine.

[Up2Late]

15. Yup, and for minor debts too. Plus they cut the first speakers Housing

money that his wife and kids in Germany were depending on to live. :grr:

[MADem]

16. DFAS

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, also known as Dumb Fuckers Always Screw up. They are not sufficiently 'field automated' to allow instantaneous pay changes. The poor bastard posts a change, and has to rely on some overpaid asshole eating a donut in a swivel chair to actually make it effective on the pay record.

It is a dinosaur of a system, and woefully inefficient. Too many steps, too many wickets.

[gulfcoastliberal]

17. "Help is on the way!" the chimp screeched! Now the soldiers reap it!

I know, it's mostly officers that are repukebots. Hope their care suffers accordingly, since they are so blindly faithful to all things republican. Sickening.