Quote :

"When a bonus isn’t a bonus, Murray fires LES BLUMENTHAL; The News Tribune Published: October 16th, 2005 12:01 AM WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle). The bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. In April, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped, Murray said. “This is outrageous,” the senator said in a telephone interview. “It makes me angry that this administration has broken another promise to our troops.” A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, confirmed the bonuses had been canceled, saying they violated Pentagon policies because they duplicated other programs. She said Guard and Reserve members would be eligible for other bonuses. Krenke said some soldiers had been paid the re-enlistment bonuses, but she was unsure how many or whether the money would have to be repaid. Murray’s office said that as far as it knew, no active Guard or Reserve members had received the bonuses. A Murray spokeswoman, Alex Glass, said Krenke’s explanation was unacceptable. “They can spin it anyway they want,” Glass said. “But this is a promise they are trying to explain away.” The bonus offer was part of the Pentagon’s effort to retain Guard and Reserve members at a time of declining enlistments in the regular Army. Army officials have said they face the toughest recruiting climate since 1973, when the draft was dropped and replaced with an all-volunteer military. Roughly 3,400 members of the Washington National Guard’s 81st Armor Brigade were serving in Iraq at the time the bonuses were offered. The bonuses were tax-free because they involved soldiers stationed overseas. “As in the private sector, bonuses are quite effective in keeping talented people with high demand skills,” Krenke said in an e-mail response to questions."

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5258954p-4774126c.html

Quote :

"For Injured U.S. Troops, 'Financial Friendly Fire' Flaws in Pay System Lead to Dunning, Credit Trouble By Donna St. George Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 14, 2005; Page A01 His hand had been blown off in Iraq, his body pierced by shrapnel. He could not walk. Robert Loria was flown home for a long recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he tried to bear up against intense physical pain and reimagine his life's possibilities. The last thing on his mind, he said, was whether the Army had correctly adjusted his pay rate -- downgrading it because he was out of the war zone -- or whether his combat gear had been accounted for properly: his Kevlar helmet, his suspenders, his rucksack. But nine months after Loria was wounded, the Army garnished his wages and then, as he prepared to leave the service, hit him with a $6,200 debt. That was just before last Christmas, and several lawmakers scrambled to help. This spring, a collection agency started calling. He owed another $646 for military housing."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/13/AR2005101302166.html

I guess buying all those magenetic, yellow ribbons isn't helping.

10/19/2005 7:42:43 AM

hopefully this will gain some more publicity... and force their hands.

10/19/2005 8:10:55 AM

Wounded vets shouldn't have to pay for shit.

10/19/2005 8:21:22 AM

its not that shouldnt have to pay for shit... i mean who knows the full extent of the story on his side, just cause he is wounded, he could stolen or sold the shit.... in anycase there were probably better ways of going about it and the whole bonus thing was crap you cant keep enlistment up if you dont offer incentive

10/19/2005 8:40:54 AM

I meant medical treatment and housing. At least until they've finished with both physical and mental therapy, retrained and find a job.

[Edited on October 19, 2005 at 8:43 AM. Reason : .]

10/19/2005 8:43:19 AM

they're just looking for a handout!

10/19/2005 1:30:22 PM

Now the Republicans don't even want to hear from our veterans.

Quote :

"To: National Desk Contact: David E. Autry of Disabled American Veterans, 202-314-5219 WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A proposal to end the long-standing practice of veterans groups addressing a joint session of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees is an insult to all who have fought, sacrificed and died to defend the Constitution, according to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). And in a strongly worded letter to House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the DAV has urged him to continue the joint hearings as an invaluable tool in formulating public policy toward America's veterans. Chairman Buyer recently announced that veterans service organizations will no longer have the opportunity to present testimony before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. "The tradition of legislative presentations by veterans service organizations dates back to at least the 1950s. And the timing of this announcement -- just before Veterans Day -- could not have been worse," said DAV National Commander Paul W. Jackson."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56522

11/10/2005 6:52:02 PM

^ Happy fucking Veterans Day.

11/10/2005 8:09:02 PM

Quote :

"Thank you, veterans. You deserve the very best in health care, education and pay."

11/11/2005 12:34:27 AM

i hope they get what was promised them.

11/11/2005 12:52:25 AM

I had a company reneg on a bonus one time, but we just got the department of labor to threaten charges and they paid up. I can't imagine what it would be like if I couldn't quit though. Fuck that shit.

11/11/2005 7:27:56 AM

The military is nothing more than a prop for a photo-op.

11/11/2005 8:12:08 AM

Ha. Is that a little kid sticking their tounge out?



[Edited on November 11, 2005 at 8:59 AM. Reason : -]

11/11/2005 8:55:01 AM

NEWSFLASH: John Kerry voted in congress for lower aid to troops for supplies. You must really hate him pryderi.

11/11/2005 8:55:08 AM

^Source?

11/11/2005 8:58:43 AM

In 1973, in General Alexander Haig's presence, then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, referred pointedly to military men as "dumb, stupid animals to be used" as pawns for foreign policy.

11/11/2005 12:05:05 PM

^^^ more like, "context?"

11/11/2005 12:38:54 PM

^^^^ correction

He DID vote for it















before he voted against it

11/11/2005 4:08:42 PM

There definately needs to be Jim Crow laws passed for uninformed, fox new watchers.

11/11/2005 4:47:48 PM

You know how you can tell the idiots from intelligent posters in SB?

Idiots always try to argue shit by pointing to other shit.

11/11/2005 4:54:27 PM

Not to mention the army knows that Depleted Uranium is dangerous, but still uses it and deliberately allows our soldiers to be poisoned by it. DU is the reason for Gulf War Syndrome and the other strange ailments of former soldiers. Thousands of veterans from the First Gulf war are sick or have died, yet the media has been almost silent on this.

To send them off to die needlessly in wars based on lies that serve no good American interest is a crime in and of itself. But to knowingly poison them, and then deny them medical care when they return home is an absolute abomination.

[Edited on December 9, 2005 at 5:26 PM. Reason : `]

12/9/2005 5:25:56 PM

bitch, whine, moan, bitch, whine, moan. this routine has been vastly overused by u.

12/9/2005 5:43:39 PM

Quote :

"bitch, whine, moan, bitch, whine, moan. this routine has been vastly overused by u."

So one shouldn't complain about the way the soldiers are treated, the same ones who are DEFENDING THE NATION?!?!?!

12/9/2005 9:17:24 PM

where in the FUCK! did that come from, salisburybot? I mean, damn.

12/9/2005 9:32:03 PM

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m17804&date=14-nov-2005_01:59_ECT

Here's a link about it. From the article:

Quote :

""The radioactive bullets had been picked up off the Nellis gunnery ranges by order of the state of Nevada and were being transported to the Nevada Test Site [a nuclear weapons test site] to be buried as radioactive waste. "When Mrs. Devlin politely asked them how they would prevent the residents of the town from being contaminated by the radioactive dust on the tanks and bullets, the officers said, 'We're wrapping them in Saran Wrap.' She told them that would be unacceptable and stopped the Air Force dead in their tracks," Moret concluded."

They were wrapping the used radioactive bullets in FUCKING SARAN WRAP!!!! The US government doesn't even give a damn about it's own citizens, why the fuck should we believe that they give a fuck about the liberty of other nations citizens?

[Edited on December 9, 2005 at 9:41 PM. Reason : .]

12/9/2005 9:41:09 PM

ummmm, thats not what I was asking. I was asking why the fuck he brought this up in a month old fucking thread about something almost entirely different...

12/9/2005 9:44:01 PM

Quote :

"ummmm, thats not what I was asking. I was asking why the fuck he brought this up in a month old fucking thread about something almost entirely different..."

Title of thread:Screwing our Troops

Salisburyboy's post:

Quote :

"Not to mention the army knows that Depleted Uranium is dangerous, but still uses it and deliberately allows our soldiers to be poisoned by it. DU is the reason for Gulf War Syndrome and the other strange ailments of former soldiers. Thousands of veterans from the First Gulf war are sick or have died, yet the media has been almost silent on this. To send them off to die needlessly in wars based on lies that serve no good American interest is a crime in and of itself. But to knowingly poison them, and then deny them medical care when they return home is an absolute abomination."

I think it has everything to do with the point of the thread. Just because the thread is old, doesn't mean the the topic that was discussed in it isn't still relevant.

12/9/2005 9:46:44 PM

Quote :

"I think it has everything to do with the point of the thread."

aaaaaaaaaaaand you would be wrong. DU is "dangerous" for more than just troops, tin-foil man. AND, salisburybot has mentioned it before elsewhere, as have other people. Thus, here he is doing nothing more than his usual crazy ass theories about the j00 world order

12/9/2005 10:29:26 PM

In 1973, in General Alexander Haig's presence, then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, referred pointedly to military men as "dumb, stupid animals to be used" as pawns for foreign policy.

12/9/2005 11:18:50 PM

Quote :

"They were wrapping the used radioactive bullets in FUCKING SARAN WRAP!!!!"

Yes, and if you read what you actually posted, it's not the worst idea.

The dangerous part about those things (the bullets, tanks, etc) is the dust on them that is contaminated and could, in turn, be inhaled or make contact with the skin. Wrap it in saran wrap, the dust isn't going anywhere.

I don't think I have to tell any of you guys that I'm no nuclear engineer, so I don't know how completely that solves the problem, but it does keep the dust under wraps.

12/10/2005 1:19:21 PM

As someone that is living with a nuclear engineer, I must ask: how did the bullets become radioactive?
Depleted Uranium is no longer active. You would have to place them in a nuclear reactor to reactivate it!

It is completely safe to eat, wear, play around in, etc. "Eating depleted uranium will give you a dose similar to eating a banana." Of course, any form of dust can become lodged in the lungs, similar to breathing steel dust, with potentially negative health effects.

Depleted Uranium is merely being hyped, nothing more. The added government regulations, which people use to justify their fears, were instituted merely to calm the fears of the uneducated. It is funny how it becomes a self feeding cycle, similar to what happened to DDT.

[Edited on December 10, 2005 at 9:40 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/10/2005 9:35:38 PM

Quote :

"Family Upset After Soldier's Body Shipped As Freight Bodies Sent To Families On Commercial Airliners UPDATED: 10:55 am EST December 13, 2005 SAN DIEGO -- There's controversy over how the military is transporting the bodies of service members killed overseas, San Diego TV station KGTV reported. A soldier's family said fallen soldiers and Marines deserve better and that one would think American war heroes are being transported with dignity, care and respect. It said one would think upon arrival in their hometowns they are greeted with honor. But the family said that is just not the case. Dead U.S. troops are supposed to come home with their coffins draped with the American flag -- greeted by a color guard. But in reality, many are arriving as freight on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the belly of a plane with suitcases and other cargo. John Holley and his wife, Stacey, were stunned when they found out the body of their only child, Matthew John Holley, who died in Iraq last month, would be arriving at Lindbergh Field as freight. Matthew was a medic with the 101st Airborne and died on Nov. 15. "When someone dies in combat, they need to give them due respect they deserve for (the) sacrifice they made," said John Holley."

Christ. Treating our fallen heroes as freight is disgusting.

12/13/2005 10:29:17 PM

yeah. the only thing worse is using them for political gain

12/16/2005 2:18:46 AM

Using 9-11 for political gain is the worst.

12/16/2005 6:31:04 AM

yes. because clearly dubya is the only one who has used 9-11 for political gain. Furthermore, I don't know if I'd say he's used it for "political gain," but still...

12/17/2005 12:03:10 AM

12/17/2005 8:32:40 PM