National Guard Troops Denied Benefits After Longest Deployment Of Iraq War

When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush's surge.

1st Lt. Jon Anderson said he never expected to come home to this: A government refusing to pay education benefits he says he should have earned under the GI bill.

"It's pretty much a slap in the face," Anderson said. "I think it was a scheme to save money, personally. I think it was a leadership failure by the senior Washington leadership... once again failing the soldiers."

Anderson's orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days.

Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school.

"Which would be allowing the soldiers an extra $500 to $800 a month," Anderson said.

This isn't the way you treat a soldier. If the days were calculated at 729, then they need to how they came to that conclusion. If they are lying, or trying to save money, those in charge need to be punished for trying to screw 1,162 soldiers out of the education programs that they need to assimilate themselves back into civilian life.

With the GI bill that was started around WWII, many soldiers get bonuses and incentives for serving in the military. That bill helps pay for college and other educational expenses to help soldiers gain valuable job skills that they can use to be successful out of military life.

This has many benefits that $500-$800 a month would more then cover. For example, someone with a college degree ends up, on average, making around $500,000-$1,000,000 more over the course of their careers. That extra money is taxed and is returned to the Federal government. Having a college degree helps with one's mental stability. If you have a degree, you can get a better job, which helps with your self esteem. Having the extra money allows you to provide for your wife/husband and your family. This higher feeling of self worth helps offset, but not eliminate, folks who can experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

If someone is pulling home $60k a year, has a nice home, wife, a couple of kids, and all the things that America can provide to someone who works hard, then their mental health shoots way up. If you're not treating someone with PTSD, you're saving money. I'm certainly not suggesting that a college degree offsets PTSD, but I think you see my point.

In fact, I've told the story about the 4 "warms" many times before. This soldier, Shay, was showing signs of PTSD. Nothing too serious, but the warning signs were there. His wife, whom I worked with, told me she was concerned. So I suggested giving him the 4 "warms" when he returned home.

They weren't by any stretch of the imagination a wealthy couple. They struggled financially many times. However, the 4 "warms" significantly helped out.

A warm meal - Soldiers who return home want a nice, big meal. Steak, potatoes, lobster, barbecue, etc. There isn't a soldier alive who doesn't enjoy a nice, warm meal with their family when they return home.

A warm shower - Many of these folks haven't showered in weeks or months. You can imagine the amount of grime and grit that gets all over you. Washing it off is healthy for the body and healthy for the mind. "It's over now. I can start anew."

A warm bed - Just about everyone has slept on rocks, in tanks, in uncomfortable positions. Sometimes for long periods of time. A nice, soft bed, in a quiet suburban area can help ease anyones stresses.

A warm woman - Ok, so this one is geared mainly towards the men, but you can vice/versa it for the women. When a soldier returns home, if a woman is waiting for him in nice lingerie, or a sexy attitude, just about everything else takes a back seat. You'll notice spikes in babies being born 9 months after a significant troop return.

Well, once Shay came into my office, he asked to speak with me personally. I thought he was pissed or something when he said "what the hell did you tell my wife"? After I explained it, he laughed and said it was the best homecoming day he's ever experienced. I talked to him about PTSD and he had said that yes, he had experienced it "a little". But after the 4 "warms" he knew that life was going to get a lot better and his symptoms of PTSD has subsided significantly.

All I'm saying is that if you treat these guys with respect and try to do some long term thinking, you'll find that 500-800 bucks a month is nothing. Pay these guys so that they can get on with their lives. I don't even think they're going to be getting the money for the rest of their lives. I think it's all going towards their education. If Hillary Clinton wants to give $5k to newborns who've done nothing to earn it, then she shouldn't have a problem trying to give 1,162 guys the $929,000 dollars max that this is going to cost the Federal government.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com