View from an Army Spouse

A Note to the Media: SHAME ON YOU!

2005-08-04T22:28:00Z

Most of you read the news. So, you know that it has been a really, really bad week for the guys in the sandbox, particularly for one of the Marine units from around here. And, if you read our local newspapers, you are also reading about their families. You see, the “reporters” (if thats what these insensitive vultures are calling themselves) have camped out with several of the local families. The front pages are filled with stories of Mr. Jones, who was so worried about his son that he came home from work to wait for some news. And of Mrs. Johnson, who is trying to shield her 4 kids from the television reports, so they aren't worried about their Daddy. Well, fat chance of that with a reporter following you everywhere you go.

What is it that they are trying to accomplish? To show the “human” side of this conflict? That's what they will tell you. I say, if you want to see that, talk to Mrs. Johnson another day, and when you do, ask her what you can do to show your support.

No, these goons are hoping to be there for the “big story”. It isn't about the people, its about being in the “right place“ at the “right time“, waiting for that knock on the door. And hoping that it comes. Hey, its just a bump in the old ratings, not your family that is being torn apart.

Make no mistake. When the word comes of a soldier's loss, military families everywhere grieve, for the soldier and for the ones he leaves behind. How dare anyone cause any of those families, waiting to hear if their Marine is ok, any additional unnecessary worry and trauma?

So to the reporters, I say, SHAME ON YOU. And LEAVE THE FAMILIES THE HELL ALONE.

Scholarships for Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan

2005-06-29T03:36:00Z

If you have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since 2001 and are considering an undergraduate degree, the Horatio Alger Society is sponsoring the Horation Alger Military Veterans Scholarship. In the tradition of Horatio Alger, applicants must “demonstrate integrity and perserverance in overcoming adversity,” as well as a financial need and a true desire to persue higher education.

For more information, visit the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship page.

Is it ever normal again?

2005-06-16T06:45:00Z

As hard as it was to explain a deployment, it is hard to convince a three year old that every time Daddy leaves the house it isn't to go to the Army. Such was the case all last week, when Steve was out of town. For one night, she will buy the story that Daddy had to go for work or whatever and that he will be back soon. But by day two, she had thoroughly resigned herself to the fact that he had gone back to the Army (after all, we took him to the airport, and that is where you go to go to the Army, right?).

All week, the questions: Will Daddy be home tonight? Will he be home when I get home from school? Can he come home RIGHT NOW? And when the answers were negative, she insisted that he had not gone to work, but to the Army. On one occassion, when she actually seemed to ponder the fact that he MIGHT be in Florida, her next question was, “Oh, is the Army in Florida?”

It didn't help that the dogs were convinced he had gone away for a long time too. My lab-mix is a protector; he patrols the house every half hour ALL night when Steve is gone, beginning and ending each sweep of the house with a wet nose in my face. As the weeks of the deployment went on, he finally decided that the house was secure enough at night and let us all get some sleep. And last week, he worked himself into a real tizzy because he was once again the big protector of the house, for goodness knew how long... again.

Luckily, the week passed quickly. But I think that there will always be some lasting reminders of the last year. And that's ok.

"They can go off to war, but they can't have a beer?!"

2005-06-13T15:34:00Z

That has long been the argument for lowering the drinking age (or, in some circles, raising the enlistment age!). Well, if Rep. Mark Pettis of Wisconsin has his way, the drinking age for Wisconsin soldiers may drop to 19. Its a controversial plan, but perhaps one whose time has come? The logistics would need to be worked out, since the proposed exemption would apply ONLY to Wisconsin soldiers and ONLY in Wisconsin... And ONLY if the Federal Government agrees not to yank $50 million in highway aid, the stick they have long used to keep state drinking ages at 21. But, it might be one recruiting tool they haven't tried yet....

And, speaking of recruiting, the Pentagon ALWAYS releases its recruiting numbers for the previous month on the first business day of the next month. Not so for May, which was delayed until June 10, due to serious shortfalls last month. According to a Pentagon spokesman, “Military recruiting is instrumental to our readiness and merits the earliest release of data. But at the same time, this information must be reasonably scrutinized and explained to the public, which deserves the fullest insight into military performance in this important area.” When asked if the move would just be a delay of bad news, the response was, “that's not necessarily true," because "we expect the numbers to improve during the summer months.”

Hmmm. The numbers for the summer aren't going to change what happened last month. But by delaying the routine release of information by a week, the Pentagon has simply drawn more attention to a story that would otherwise have been a blip in the news. Like I said, maybe the Wisconsin proposal has some merit....

(And, for anyone who cares, the Army was short by about 1600 soldiers in May, or 25% less than its recruiting goal.)

Thank you to all of our veterans!

2005-05-30T04:58:00Z

It's odd, really, that the greeting for today is “Happy Memorial Day.” It seems that people have forgotten, in the flurry of picnics and holiday sales, what the day is all about. The day that most use to hail the start of summer is a day of much greater importance: remembering all of those Americans who have lost their lives in military service.

So today, as you go to your parades, salute the flag and think for a moment what it really means. Take a few moments at your picnic to remember those servicemen and women who have died protecting our great nation. And, although it is a day for remembrance of those gone, say thank you to a veteran or to a serviceman whenever you have the opportunity. And to his family, for the sacrifices that they make.

God bless all of our servicemen, deployed and at home. Thank you all for your service.

The family that serves together.....

2005-04-14T15:46:00Z

There have been a number of stories of family members, usually brothers, or a father-son team, who are serving together in Iraq. This latest story is a little unusual because BOTH parents, and a son, are all currently deployed to the same area of Iraq. Sgt. Major Allen Pinckney Sr, Chief Warrant Officer Sezandra Pinckney, and Pfc Allen Pinckney Jr recently were able to come together for Sezandra's promotion ceremony at Camp Taji, Iraq.

Says Sezandra of the occassion, which was a very special one, “I count it as a blessing. And to see that so many people had the same emotional feelings as us was so heartfelt. I can’t express how great it was to have my husband and son here today to take part. The Army has been good to my family.”

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=27571&archive=true

Some Inspiring Men in Uniform Return to a Better Iraq

2005-03-30T04:18:00Z

As more soldiers are rotating back to Iraq for their second (or more) deployment to that country, many of them are commenting on how much the region has improved since their previous visit. Most are very encouraged to see positive changes, signs that liberty and democracy might be making headway. Some of them have changed too, as people do over time and with combat experience. A few of the recent arrivals, though, are more notable than others.

You see, these soldiers lost limbs in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq the first time around. Yet they have struggled to overcome their injuries to not only return to an active life, but Active Duty as well. Although they are relatively few in number (8 at last count), the numbers are growing, thanks in part to technological and medical improvements. And thanks in large part to the determination of the soldiers themselves.

Captain David Rozelle is the first of these soldiers to return to a command position in Iraq. He is glad to have the opportunity to continue to serve and his men are glad to have the experience that he brings to the position. Says Capt. Rozelle, “At the very beginning I had a lot of self pity... I thought I'd given enough. Now that I'm here, it's brought things full circle... It's allowed me to start my life again, in Iraq, where I thought it had ended.”

Fox News has two articles (Part One and Part Two) on some of these brave soldiers. I have to say, though, that I disagree on their characterization of these men as “amputees.” Yes, that is one facet of who they are now, but more importantly, they are soldiers, and they are an inspiration.

Annual Pay Raises in Jeopardy?

2005-03-07T18:05:00Z

There has been a good deal of talk lately about ways to cut military costs. One idea, currently being floated in Congress, is to ELIMINATE ANNUAL PAY RAISES. Bonuses, instead, would only be provided to those people in critically needed or undermanned slots. As a result, 40% of service members would get no annual increase in pay.

There is some wisdom to this philosophy. It could save about $9.6 billion over the next four years. Not exactly pocket change, at least unless you are a member of Congress. But for those military families who are trying to keep up with the cost of living, pocket change might be a thing of the past.

Personally, I think this is a pretty short sighted position. True, the military doesn't have to deal with the wage issues of the private sector; soldiers under contract cannnot simply leave for a more lucrative position as they might do otherwise. However, for a military facing recruiting and retention problems, discussion of further lowering the basic pay in comparison to civilian earnings isn't going to help gain or keep soldiers. Couple this with other cost-cutting measures, such as closing commissaries and increasing out of pocket healthcare costs, and the military is looking less and less attractive to the bright young men and women that are considering joining the ranks.

This issue definitely bears watching, although it is unlikely that a final decision will come any time too soon. The new ad campaigns for military recruiting tout the virtues of pride and honor that come with wearing the uniform. However, policy makers need to remember that, as important as those values are, they simply don't put food on the table.

Combat Engineers Detonating IED's Near Ramadi

2005-03-01T17:30:00Z

Fox News today has a story and video of some US Army Combat Engineers who are working to detonate IED's near Ramadi. For those who are interested in what role a combat engineer might play in Iraq, and why their job is so critical, you might want to check it out.

You can do ANYTHING - but you don't have to do EVERYTHING!

2005-02-18T04:19:00Z

Newsweek this week has a series of articles on motherhood today. Specifically, the authors, all women, were trying to address the insanity of the notion of having it all and doing it all and how the “simple” task of motherhood has spiraled out of control. No longer is it enough that you raise your children to be good people, now they must be in a hundred activities and a woman is expected to climb the corporate ladder in between soccer practice, ballet, and French lessons.

As I reflected on these articles a little more, I realized how extremely topical they are for military spouses. Not only are many of us trying to balance families and careers, but we have often found ourselves in the position of being BOTH SuperMommy and Daddy, since the military often takes our spouses yonder and far for training and deployments for months at a time.

One of the things I learned this deployment was a little bit about priorities. Things that were SO important before I learned really didn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things. But taking time to step back from the chaos of every day life WILL help you get through a deployment and isn't such a bad idea for everyone, really.

Initially during a deployment, you face a lot of pressures to do it all. If you keep going and keep busy, you don't have time to think about all your fears and the huge changes you are facing. If you keep doing what you have always done, and manage to take on your spouse's role too, everyone else will think you are fine and you can keep putting on that happy face for the world. Even somewhat official advice from military sources advises you to keep things as much the same as possible; no need to change things at all just because Daddy is over in the sandbox, he would have been gone all day at the office anyway, some will say.

The fact is, military spouses in particular are under tremendous pressure to do it all. But when it comes down to it, that notion of just raising your children to be good people and taking a step back to relax once in a while isn't such a bad concept after all. The key is to remember this: You CAN do ANYTHING - but you don't have to do everything.

New Ohio Law to Give More Help to Soldiers and Families

2005-02-17T07:22:00Z

In light of the large numbers of National Guardsmen and Reservists being called for duty, some states that are not traditionally home to large numbers of military folks are paying more attention to soldiers and their families. Ohio is among several states who are working on new laws to provide greater protections to deployed servicemen and dependants. The new Ohio law, titled the “Ohio Patriot Plan” was signed by the Governor on Tuesday and provides legal protection from eviction and utility disconnections, as well as making it easier to get out of long term contracts such as car leases and cell-phone agreements. The law is based on a similar measure in New York. Alabama, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Iowa are among the states working on similar legislation.

Even if you do not reside in one of these states, you still have some protections guaranteed by the Soldier and Sailors Civil Relief Act. In particular, you may be eligible for a reduction in your credit card interest rate or the interest rate of your mortgage for the duration of the deployment. These benefits are NOT automatic, so check on the various acts at the federal and state level that may apply to you and your family. Every little bit helps.

Inventor of the Gas Mask Finally Honored for His Work

2005-02-11T05:06:00Z

Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas mask and traffic light, is being honored by the Inventor's Hall of Fame this year. Although the fact that his invention is very important to our military, nearly a century after its conception, is worthy of some note, Mr. Morgan's personal heroism makes his story all the more remarkable.

Garrett Morgan lived in Cleveland in 1916, at a time when men dug tunnels below Lake Erie to bring clean water to the growing city. Cave ins and deaths due to noxious fumes were common, but on the night of July 25, 1916, an explosion left many men trapped, dead and dying, beneath the Lake. Two rescue teams had gone in. Neither had come out. In desperation, someone remembered Garrett Morgan's “Safety Hood” and called the inventor. Would he come?

Garrett Morgan not only came, but he raced to the scene with 25 of his hoods. In his hurry, in the middle of the night, he wore only his pants; he had forgotten his shirt and boots. When he arrived, he was met by a gathering of men, including policemen, firemen, trained life savers, and the mayor. However, when Mr. Morgan called for volunteers for the rescue mission, only three brave men, including his brother, were willing to accompany him down into the tunnels.

The rescue effort was successful; after seeing the party (with Morgan still barefoot) recover two men and several bodies from the tunnels, other men stepped up. The gas mask saved many lives that night, in its first true test, and four men recieved the prestigeous Carnegie Hero Fund Commission medal for their acts of bravery. Garrett Morgan was not one of them; Garrett Morgan, who suffered health problems for the rest of his life from administering artificial respiration to a survivor whose lungs were full of toxic fumes, was black.

A committee of prominent Clevelanders took it upon themselves to honor Mr. Morgan, and presented him with a gold medal, inscribed, “Garrett A. Morgan: Our most honored and bravest citizen.” And now he is being honored by the Inventor's Hall of Fame for his work. Thank you to Mr. Morgan, for saving lives at risk to his own, and for designing equipment that has saved, undoubtedly, thousands of lives of our soldiers over the years.

For a full story, click here.

Stop Loss Lawsuit Rejected

2005-02-08T02:42:00Z

A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Army's stop-loss policy, which is keeping many soldiers in uniform (and deployed) past the end of their contractual obligations. In doing so, Judge Royce Lamberth said that the enlisment contract does specify that the government can extend the length of service. He also noted that allowing soldiers to leave at the end of their contracts could lead to “substantial disruption and diversion of military resources.“

Substantial disruption? I would say that the 7000 active duty soldiers already extended under stop-loss have already experienced substantial disruption of their lives. And if 7000 isn't so many, then consider that 40,000 or more Reservists may be affected as well.

I understand the basic premise of the policy. I would even grant that keeping a handful of soldiers in the interests of unit cohesion while their units are currently deployed, while not preferable, is certainly in the best interests of the Army. However, keeping thousands of soldiers well past the end of their contracts is not going to fix the problems with troop strength that the Army is currently facing.

GI Joe captured in Iraq

2005-02-02T01:11:00Z

Well, not exactly GI joe, but his friend, Special Ops Cody. It seems that the most recent video of an American soldier captured by insurgents is merely footage of an action figure produced for AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service). And the weapon pointed at his head? The toy gun that comes with the figure, of course. Somehow, I don't think this is going to prompt much action on the release of all prisoners in Iraq, as was demanded by the captors....

Proposed Increased to Death Benefits for Soldiers

2005-02-01T16:55:00Z

There is a fight in Washington over death benefits available to soldiers. The good news (such as it is for such a topic) is that everyone is trying to out-do each other this time. Late last month, some Senators proposed increasing the basic death benefit which is automatically paid to the family of a soldier. Then Bush and the Pentagon, supporting that measure, proposed also increasing amount of available life insurance coverage AND making these changes retroactive to any soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since October 2001. Now, lawmakers are arguing that such a change should extend to ALL troops, not just those serving in a designated combat zone. The full text of the story, from the USAToday, is here, but here are some of the important points:

The current death benefit, paid tax-free automatically to a serviceman's family is $12,420.
The current insurance available to servicemen via SGLI (official military life insurance) is currently a maximum of $250,000
Proposed legislation would increase the death benefit to $100,000 and life insurance to $400,000

Of course, there are several versions of this bill currently being discussed, so the exact details are still a little sketchy, but overall it seems like a positive change.

Much of the impetus for this change has come from the outcry over the disparity between treatment of military survivors and the families of the World Trade Center victims. You see, the government paid out an average of $2.1 million to every family who lost a member to the 9/11 attacks. That is on top of other charitable funds and life insurance money that they recieved. And while I cannot disagree with the argument that a soldier chooses his risks, wheras the 9/11 victims did not, I find that reasoning only to be a more compelling case for why the government should take better care of those who take care of us.

No amount of money can possibly compensate you for the loss of your spouse. But hopefully this change will allow military families faced with such a tragedy to focus on more important issues, rather than face immediate financial worries on top of it all.