Our Government is asking too much of our soldiers

Image By At.morey.tota (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Is this still true?

A few months ago, the government was having 'some difficulty' (to put it politely) reaching an agreement on the 2011 budget. This 'difficulty' resulted in a near shutdown of the government which luckily was averted at the very last moment. Some lawmakers hinted that we should be very happy that they "saved the day" but why did it get that far?

If the government had shut down, thousands of government workers would have been furloughed but military troops would have been required to continue working without pay.

Thousands of people spoke up and expressed their disgust at the government for the shabby treatment of the troops. One lawmaker was asked if they would still be getting paid...

This lawmaker's reply? "We can't stop our pay, there is a law that says we can't."

If it is a LAW, then why could the "Lawmakers" not do something about it?

We got through the stress of the situation and life returned to normal but now... a lingering fear exists in the back of many service member's mind and the minds of their families. Will it happen again? Will they avoid the shutdown next time? If I am deployed and we stop receiving pay, will my family survive?

"Read How the Government Shut Down affects my family" here and please feel free to add the impact that a shutdown would have had on your family.

If a soldier is killed fighting for our freedom, what did that soldier have to miss out on because they could not afford it while they were alive? Vacations, honeymoons or even a simple trip to the movies with a loved one?

Yes, this can happen at any job, there are layoffs etc. Being in the military is NOT like any other job- you volunteer to sacrifice your own life to protect the constitution and the people of the United States. You can't just quit when you are frustrated or even in this situation- you must continue to serve until your time is up, and most soldiers, despite being treated this way would not quit.

Some say that it might be good to 'weed out those who are not mentally strong enough'. There is a big difference between the actions of an enemy endangering you or your family and your own government that you are serving endangering everything you hold dear. The last remaining glimmer of trust is now gone.

Just this week, the government had "difficulty" agreeing on raising the debt ceiling. This "difficulty" that they have once again experienced amongst themselves has again raised doubts about security for troops and their families. They again reached an agreement on the final day of the deadline, but once again, we spent weeks preparing for the worst.

Once again, we prepare for the worst as the December 23rd deadline for Congress to vote up or down committee recommendations approaches when military pay will again be questionable.

Image By Shane Hollar [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

There are many Military families who must rely on programs such as WIC already.
Recent and proposed changes virtually guarantee a new influx of applications for government assistance on programs that are already strained.

While it may be true that some troops receive better pay than their civilian counterparts, it is certainly not true for all service members. Even when you take into account no copays or deductibles, special tax incentives and on base tax free shopping, there is still quite a large discrepency for some soldiers.

Civilian jobs do not require you to put yourself in harms way. There are dangerous jobs out there for sure, but you are free to quit and they usually offer significant compensation. When soldiers deploy, they are compensated during that time, but to say that the pay is too much is completely absurd.

When You serve in the military, you do not have a "job"- you have a way of life that few can truly understand.

When politicians who have never served compare military jobs to civilian, they are really comparing apples to oranges.

Serving in the military is not like any civilian job
- it is a way of life.

Many Service members were outraged when they read a recent article in the Army Times about new retirement policies. The plans were another recommendation from the Defense Business Board which consists of mostly civilians with little to no military experience with two notable exceptions.

The proposed retirement "benefits" are being reduced to a standard 401k. Had this new policy simply been made and applied to future service members, there would not be such a problem. The policy ensures that every member will receive some form of retirement pay after serving any time which benefits thousands of soldiers who only stay in for 4 years or so.

The affect on medical benefits has not yet been disclosed and soldiers are left wondering if they will still have medical insurance for themselves and family members during or after their service.

The proposed plan uses a corporate style 401k with contributions from the government although this plan does not permit a soldier to withdraw from the account without penalty until age 60 to 65. The government contribution is expected to be approximately 16.5% of the members base pay and the plan is anticipated to save the government $338 billion over the next 12 years.

Along with the announcement of the new retirement plan, a "grandfather claus" (a claus in the policy that states that those who were already career military personnel would be able to retain the current plan) was also announced. The details of the grandfather claus have not yet been fully determined but currently, it is actually only a "partial grandfathering claus" as it only grants the affected personnel 50% of the current value of the money in their retirement. Also not yet released were the specifics of the cutoff for the number of years that must have already been served to qualify for a grandfather claus or whether they would still receive their medical insurance or commissary / PX priviledges.

Under the previous retirement plan, those who stay until 20 years would have received monthly pay equal to half of their monthly salary for the rest of their life as well as being able to shop on base (tax free) and have medical insurance for their families. Only 17% of service members stay in the military for the full 20 years, but for those who do and who are already halfway through, they stand to lose at least half of what they had been expecting- the retirement package that they had been promised as a reward for all of their years of dedication in a difficult job.

Most soldiers will benefit from this plan in the long run, although they as well have concerns about the grandfather claus. If those who have already begun planning for the retirement that they had been working for do not receive what had been guaranteed previously, not only will the government have dishonored those soldiers by failing to fulfill that obligation, but again the ability of the troops to trust that they and their families will be taken care of will be damaged further.Many soldiers are asking that there be a better grandfather claus- a claus that allows service members who have served for over ten years (halfway to retirement) to be guaranteed to keep the current retirement plan.

As the plan stands now, the hardest hit will be officers who have already served 10+ years. Under the current proposal with the proposed partial grandfather claus which instead of preserving benefits already accrued, wipes the slate and gives credit for time served. An O-3 with 20 years of service (who has been grandfathered in giving them credit for time served under the new plan) would receive $2,543 per month as opposed to the $5086 per month that they had been working toward for the past 20 years.

Additionally, service members are concerned that the term "Retired Military" which has long been a term garnering respect will lose it's meaning as everyone will officially be able to retire after fulfilling their obligation, no matter how brief.

The amount that has already been sacrificed by these service men and women is astounding, and inflict this type of of hardship on them is absolutely unconscionable.

Read more about the new retirement package from AP

The stress of these concerns could hinder a soldier's ability to focus. If a deployed soldier is preoccupied whether his family will be able to eat he is more likely to be injured or killed as are others in his unit.

Many Military families survive because of the generosity of a grateful nation. Military Discounts at stores like Lowes (10%), Home Depot (10%), Disney World ( Shades of Green) and Regal Cinemas.
make it possible for many military families to experience a more comfortable life. Some companies also give special coupons to military families as well.
We are deeply grateful for the kindness companies like these offer.

During a budget meeting Army Gen. Martin Dempsey took the unusual step of asking his staff to give members of the committee a color picture that featured two soldiers in close combat, with one who appeared to be making an urgent call on his radio. Underneath the image was the word "Trust."

"That image speaks to me on the issue of trust," Dempsey said. "As you see, there's a soldier protecting that soldier's flank. He's wearing a wedding band so it reminds us that they're married and they trust that we'll take care of their families, both now and into the future.

"He's on the radio and he's calling for something. And we don't know what it is. It could be a medevac. It could be close-air support. It could be artillery," Dempsey continued. "So in answer to your question about budget numbers, I don't know. But what I do know is that I will not allow that relationship of trust to be violated."".

Standard 401k retirement plans given to those who have already worked so hard for the previous retirement package without grandfathering them in, hearing that our soldiers may have to serve without pay 3 times in one year and the constant promotion of incompetent and unqualified servicemembers while some of the best are being let go is just the tip of the iceberg and is too much.

Our quality of life has drastically declined and, if my husband continues to serve, will only get worse. If the retirement package does not grandfather in soldiers who have served and have already reenlisted, we will lose the benefits he has been working so hard for that would have allowed us to care for our disabled child when he enters adulthood.

I love my country, I am proud to be an Army Wife, My husband is proud to be a soldier, we have no ill feeling toward the military. It is the lawmakers who are using the troops as political pawns who have forced us into this position. Sadly, it is time for us to say farewell to military life and move on. There is a limit to how many sacrifices anyone should make. This time, my husband will not be reenlisting.

For those service members who have dedicated 20 or more years to the service of this nation, the current retirement package is not a way to "spoil" them. It is a way of saying thank you- thank you for all that you have sacrificed over the years, all the risks that you have taken to protect our freedoms, all of the time you did not get with your family. Thank you for missing the birth of your child so that we could all sleep better at night, and then missing their first steps, first words and more as you deployed over and over, never sure if you would return.

Of course, "thank you" is not enough to justify the huge expense to lawmakers or to those taxpayers who are unfamiliar with what the service members actually endure during 20 years.

The divorce rate in the military is exceptionally high, stress from frequent deployments or other work related absences as well as financial strain and frequent relocation are often factors. Spouses of service members often feel isolated from the world and worry if their loved on will be returning home or if they will be killed or severely injured. Children of a 20 year service member often grow up with the parent missing many important milestones which strains their relationship and the relationship with the spouse.

Pay is barely competitive with the civilian sector and it can be very difficult for military families to close that gap as they are often forced by the situation to remain single income families. Some careers requiring professional licensure are nearly impossible for a spouse of a service member to keep as frequent moves require frequent re licensure in the state that they are moving to which may require additional courses in state policy pertaining to that specialty. The process of obtaining new licensure often takes a year or two (as long as the the family is stationed in that area), requiring the process to begin all over again at the next station. When the families move overseas, the licensure becomes even more challenging. Additionally, many employers are reluctant to hire military spouses as they know that they will not be there long term.

Soldiers do not work 40 hours per week- the days often last 10 + hours, they must do physical training and on top of their normal duties they are expected to attend a certain amount of frequent military trainings and practice at the range. If the service member has a highly skilled job, they must also maintain continuing education credits as well as military paperwork and reading updates to policies. Most commands do not let you do these things in place of going to your normal job unless an individual training is expected to last for more than a day. Persons in a command position ( by 20 years of service the service member is usually in some type of position of authority) can expect to do a whole lot more than was discussed above.

***There is no overtime pay

There are reimbursements and allowances for certain things- but often, they do not completely cover what they are intended to cover.

Click here for details on what allowances are given and how it is not always enough


Image By National Geographic Society [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Frequent moves prevent younger families from purchasing a home, this means that as they get older, they will have missed out on a great investment, by the time the soldier retires, they will be at the beginning of the mortgage with no equity. It can also be difficult to build your credit while in the service, and it is easier to become victim of identity theft. The DoD has finally decided to remove social security numbers from id cards, but they are only doing that as the cards expire, meaning that current cards (even the cards of dependents) will bear the service member's SSN until they expire. As every thing you do in the military requires an SSN, military families become so accustomed to giving it out that they often do not hesitate when asked.

Frequent relocation offers additional challenges. The military is no longer offering paid house hunting trips prior to the move- meaning you are expected to find something AFTER you arrive at your new duty station. Base housing frequently has long wait lists and most bases will not even allow you to put your name on that list until the soldier has written orders to move- written orders often do not come until shortly before the move- as an example, we were very happy with our last move as we actually got the written orders 8 days prior to departing...

Our last move resulted in our purchasing a home as we were placed on the wait list at the 4 surrounding bases 8 days before departing, when we arrived at our current station, we checked our status on the lists, the shortest wait being 3 months. We looked for rentals, but they were either out of our price range, or too small. We lived in a hotel until we ran out of money and then stayed at a very generous soldiers home. In total, we were between homes for about a month and had it not been for the exceptional speed of the realtor and mortgage broker who found and closed on this home in 8 days, we likely would have gone another month.

We were reimbursed for ten days of the hotel stay and gas and partially for food, the dogs had to be boarded at a kennel (where they kindly granted us a discount and a payment plan as they were boarded for a month) Pets are understandably a non-reimburseable expense, as they are a decision the family makes- but the health benefits of having a pet for our child are very important to us as well as them being a part of our family . Please keep in mind, we were traveling with a child who has autism and is a high elopement risk, hotel rooms are a nightmare for us, the stress alone was worse than the extra charges on our credit card.

Most of our belongings were damaged beyond repair. The insurance did cover it this time, but you can not receive fair compensation for items of emotional value such as a clay footprint of your newborn baby's foot- it would be reimbursed for around $10 to cover the materials used to make it. All in all, this was a pretty easy move.

The military has been under scrutiny for a long time regarding their handling of soldiers suffering from PTSD. PTSD is a life altering condition resulting from a traumatic experience, some soldiers jump at the sound of a car door, a child playing "planes" with sound effects or spend their days paranoid of an enemy approaching or reliving the traumatic event over and over. Service Members with PTSD are often afraid to seek help as the stigma of mental health issues within the military leaves them fearful of ridicule, pranks and also being told that they "didn't have what it takes". Service members with PTSD may be told by their fellow service members to suck it up or get over it and spend much of their lives hiding their pain. Is there any price on a soldier's peace of mind?

Thankfully, it does not appear as if the current proposal will affect disability pay or care for those wounded. Recent changes to policies to reduce the size of the force may have an impact on disability pay for some though. The process to be med boarded (leave the military for medical reasons- sometimes against the soldier's wishes) has been sped up, if a service member with less obvious medical problems is med boarded, with the increase in numbers of med boards and the rapid pace there will surely be some who do not receive fair compensation.

Our "free" healthcare does come at a cost. Tricare (our insurance) provides 100% coverage for service members who are usually seen in Military facilities. Dependents of the service member may be seen at a military facility if there is room and are often unable to get appointments as the service members have priority (understandably). The problem now is that although the family can seek care outside of the military facility, many providers have stopped accepting Tricare as the reimbursement rates are extremely low and there are also many services which are not covered, even if you pay extra to add on the ECHO program (supplemental insurance for families who have special medical needs). We pay for our dental coverage which provides free annual checkups but more and more often, they are denying claims for dental procedures.

Some families have had such difficulty accessing providers that the spouse or child is actually unable to see their physician or obtain vital service for chronic illnesses that they essentially give up. Delays in vital services such as early intervention for toddlers with developmental disabilities are getting longer as civilian providers distance themselves further.

These are just a few of the stressors that soldiers deal with daily, they (and their families) smile and accept these things as part of the life that they have chosen and get on with their day. While they accept these things as "normal", that should not imply that it is ok to let them go through the added stress (which can result in health problems) without some form of compensation for enduring 20 years or war, lost paperwork, reduced family earning potential, reimbursements that did not cover everything, the stress of wondering if you would find a home, having their families stay in some of the nastiest hotels imaginable, missing their childrens' milestones, risking life and limb and their own marriages to serve the United States.

Why else do they deserve their full retirement pay?

It was PROMISED to them by our government when they joined.

Ask lawmakers to preserve the retirement earnings for current career service members!

Senate

US house of Representatives

The White house

Deputy Chief of Staff: Army

Defense Business Board