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| Pentagon unwilling to reimburse soldiers |
| 2005-10-16 |
| It was almost a year ago Congress passed a law requiring the Pentagon to reimburse soldiers for body armor and equipment they bought for better protection in Iraq. And nearly a year later the Department of Defense hasn't been able to figure out a way to make this reimbursement, according to an Associated Press story Thursday. This is an incredible report in two ways. It is incredible in the first place that soldiers or parents of soldiers have to pay out hundreds or thousands of dollars for additional armor the government has not provided in an attempt to increase the soldiers' safety. And, secondly, it is impossible to understand why the Pentagon, massive bureaucracy that it is, still cannot -- 12 months after being required to -- figure out a way to reimburse these families. The AP reported Pentagon officials opposed the reimbursement idea, calling it "an unmanageable precedent that will saddle the DOD with an open-ended financial burden." It seems to us the real "burden" in this case is on the men and women sent to Iraq to fight this war. They are the ones putting their lives on the line, and if they and their families feel they can add some assurance the soldiers will have greater protection while serving there, the government should pay the cost for that protection. The bottom line is that our fighting men and women should have all the protection they can possibly have, and it is up to the Defense Department to provide it. We agree with the comment of a former Marine whose son, also a Marine, is serving in Fallujah, who was quoted by the AP: "...I think the U.S. has an obligation to make sure they (soldiers) have this equipment and to reimburse for it. I just don't support Donald Rumsfeld's idea of going to war with what you have, not what you want. You go to war prepared, and you don't go to war until you are prepared." The law passed last October gave the Defense Department until Feb. 25 to come up with a way to make the reimbursements. Obviously, we are long past that deadline. In April an undersecretary of defense wrote a letter to a senator saying his office was developing regulations to implement the reimbursement and would be done in about 60 days. Equally obviously, we are long past that deadline as well. It is no surprise the wheels at the Pentagon are moving so slowly in this issue. Washington bureaucracy in every department operates much the same way. But in this case the Pentagon is failing to follow a law passed by Congress a year ago this month either because of the difficulties in figuring out a way to reimburse families for their purchases or because Pentagon officials have dug in their heels and are not complying with the law because they opposed it in the first lace. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #3 Ask and ye shall receive (sorta): DoD finally issues policy to reimburse troops for body armor, equipment |
| Posted by: SC88 2005-10-16 18:09 |
| #2 This law, while well-meaning, is a nightmare. It would be like Congress mandating that insurance companies have to cover "all hurricane damage" in New Orleans - after the storm. No pre-existing inventories, no limits on coverage, no ability to determine what is and what is not an allowable expense ..... It was Congress covering their collective a*ses for a decade of inadequate military funding and for the Clinton policy of refusing to stockpile armor, supplies etc. in case a conflict actually broke out. |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-10-16 13:49 |
| #1 ...it is impossible to understand why the Pentagon, massive bureaucracy that it is, still cannot -- 12 months after being required to -- figure out a way to reimburse these families. I think you just contradicted yourself there, Mr. Editor. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2005-10-16 13:14 |