Sandra Jontz writing for Stars and Stripes on Congressman: Wounded troops shouldn't be billed for hospital meals:
Talk about adding insult to injury, said one U.S. Congressman.
Troops wounded in combat in the nation’s war on terrorism are being handed more than just discharge papers when they leave military hospitals — some also are getting a bill.
At a daily rate of $8.10, hospitalized troops, including those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, are being charged for their meals.
“I was amazed. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it,” said Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, who has introduced a bill to repeal what he calls an “offensive” law.
“Some things don’t meet the common-sense test, and this is one of them,” said a soldier injured in Iraq in June, and who has received two meal bills, one for $24.30 from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and a second for more than $300 from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Now, I am aware these meal charges are a result of a federal law intended to prevent double-dipping by troops already being paid in cash for their meals, as opposed to those who possess a mess hall card. I received BAS while on active duty myself due to unpredictable working hours which often prevented me from eating in the mess hall. But come on, its more than a little bit tacky and distateful to tell some PFC, "hey, sorry about that whole grenade blowing off your legs thing, and by the way, your next paycheck will be a little light…"
For the record, I can't blame this long-standing regulation on the present Administration, but there is no reason that Rumsfeld and Co. can't ask Congress to legislate this nonsensical law out of existence, quick, fast and in a hurry.
Its tacky, disgusting and demeaning to bill a wounded Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine for meals eaten in a military hospital while recuperating from wounds received during his/her service – even if that person is already receiving the Basic Allowance for Subsistence instead of a mess hall card. The wounded kid isn't getting rich as a result of being forced to eat hospital food while pocketing the pittance that is BAS, and this isn't some grand fleecing that will bankrupt the government. Its not like these servicemembers WANT to be in the hospital with holes in their bodies and missing limbs.
This is an embarrassment. Thankfully, Representative Bill Young is determined to take action.
Link courtesy of Veterans for Common Sense. This entry also posted at Stand Down.
Start charging Bush rent for the White House and its staff. Then charge him for all the days he was AWOL during the Vietnam war.
Compassionate conservatism: screwing the wounded and maimed while giving the rich and privileged huge tax cut bonanzas. Most people call this being a bastard.
Posted by Anonymous on September 15, 2003 08:53 PM
“Compassionate conservatism: screwing the wounded and maimed while giving the rich and privileged huge tax cut bonanzas. Most people call this being a bastard.”
Man, you people are fucking unbelievable. This administration is supposed to discover and fix every nonsensical regulation the military inherited from previous administrations and Congresses before anyone even complains about it? This is somehow their fault? And it is somehow related to the tax cut?
Get a grip. The policy is fucked-up, no doubt about it. Bitch about the administration if they don’t back a change. But you’re knee-jerk reaction to blame the Bush White House for everything you don’t like in this country illustrates the reason your side will never win: You’re blind and insane with hate for Bush and conservatives.
Take a step back and pull your head out of your ass. Maybe then you could take your movement somewhere besides over the closest cliff.
Posted by Schaeffer on September 16, 2003 09:59 AM
Schaeffer said: “Man, you people are fucking unbelievable. This administration is supposed to discover and fix every nonsensical regulation the military inherited from previous administrations and Congresses before anyone even complains about it? ”
Who said that? Not I, nor did the anonymous poster. Although, he/she did go off on another tangent…
By the way, this regulation hasn’t exactly been a secret in DoD. And, contrary to your assertion, it has been complained about by many military hospital administrators and wounded officers since its implementation in 1958 and by many injured and wounded enlisted troops since 1981. Further, this is Rumsfeld’s SECOND time around as Secretary of Defense. I’m sure he received plenty of complaints during his first tenure as Secretary and quite a bit since operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began. He can’t plead newbie ignorance. His job isn’t just about coordinating military ops for warfare, but also dealing with personnel issues that affect retention and morale, such as this long-standing non-secretive regulation. If something like this is affecting morale and embarrassing the Department, all he has to do is pick up the phone and call his boss who in turn could easily call House and Senate leadership. Hell, Bill Young jumped right on it when he became aware of the problem. It ain’t rocket science.
That said, I’m fairly positive that Bush would sign into law legislation overturning this regulation, so long as it wasn’t attached to the wrong bill.
So you’re right Schaeffer, it isn’t the fault of the present Administration. But then I already pointed that out in my original blog posting above. Didn’t I?
Posted by James Landrith on September 16, 2003 10:43 AM
Touche
My comment was not directed at you, but rather at the anon who seems to think that all that is wrong with the world is due to this administration. It’s the defining world-view of the anti-war movement and one of their many liabilities.
Posted by Schaeffer on September 16, 2003 11:04 AM
“My comment was not directed at you, but rather at the anon who seems to think that all that is wrong with the world is due to this administration.”
Yes it was directed at ‘you’ plural, i.e. ‘us’.
“Man, you people are fucking unbelievable.”
Actually, although I am listed on the front page, I don’t come here that often, you just got lucky that I wandered by today.
—
“It’s the defining world-view of the anti-war movement and one of their many liabilities.”
Umm, blaming the war that this site hoped to help avoid on our current administration is more than accurate, it’s obvious.
Noticing the fact that any increase of budgets to help make the lives of the those fighting this war more bearable is going to have to come in the form of a loan, and is therefore less likely to happen, is also something that can be put more of less squarely on the Administration.
Those soldiers (perhaps all 6,000 of them) aren’t getting wounded training to repel an invasion. They are, unfortunately, part of one. This choice of action came from who, exactly?
All your other strawman will have to wait.
And remember, people who hate liberty, hate liberals.
Posted by wah on September 16, 2003 03:39 PM
The “Tweedle Dum” and “Tweedle Dee” of USA politics (GOP and Dems) both as Free Market Capitalist Parties believe largely in “USER Pays” just like the USA economic advisors push on poor countries all over the world.
And more and more privatisation of military logistic supplies and support. Even outsourcing of military work to privatised Mercanaries.
What do you expect, you fighters for American Capitalism in the name of a crucade for so called “Democracy”?
Wake up, you have been sold a pup.
Posted by Jan on September 16, 2003 11:42 AM
For those deluded (or dishonest) souls who claim that everything is going well in Iraq, here is excerpts from Riverbend’s blog entry for Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2003. Riverbend is a western educated Iraqi woman who writes about what is going on in Iraq these days.
I heard/read Bush’s speech yesterday. I can’t watch him for more than a minute at a time – I hate him that much. He makes me sick. He stands there, squinting his eyes and pursing his lips, going on and on with such blatant lies. And he looks just plain stupid.
. . .
His whole speech was just an idiotic repetition of what he’s been saying ever since Afghanistan, “Give me more money, give me more power – I’m doing this for you. Bechtel and Halliburton have nothing to do with it.” Doesn’t he ever get tired of saying the same words? Don’t people ever get tired of hearing them?
The one thing I agreed with was this: there are terrorists in Iraq. It’s true. Ever since the occupation, they’ve been here by the hundreds and thousands. They are seeping in from neighboring countries through the borders the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ could not protect and would not let the Iraqi army protect. Some of them are even a part of the Governing Council now….
Yes. I blame America for that. We never had Al-Qaeda or even links to Al-Qaeda. Ansar Al-Islam are supposed to be linked to Al-Qaeda, but they were functioning in the northern territory with the two Kurdish leaders’ knowledge and blessings.
Then there’s this:
“The attacks you have heard and read about in the last few weeks have occurred predominantly in the central region of Iraq, between Baghdad and Tikrit — Saddam Hussein’s former stronghold. The north of Iraq is generally stable and is moving forward with reconstruction and self-government. The same trends are evident in the south, despite recent attacks by terrorist groups.”
Is he serious? Only yesterday an American armored vehicle was burned in front of the University of Mosul in the north. There have been an increasing number of attacks on British troops in the south – we hear about them everyday. As for Baghdad… it has become a common occurrence. Baghdad Airport is constantly under missile attack and we hear of similar attacks all over Baghdad….
“Since the end of major combat operations, we have conducted raids seizing many caches of enemy weapons and massive amounts of ammunition, and we have captured or killed hundreds of Saddam loyalists and terrorists.”
… The ‘loyalists and terrorists’ must include Mohammed Al-Kubeisi of Jihad Quarter in Baghdad who was 11. He went outside on the second floor balcony of his house to see what the commotion was all about in their garden. The commotion was an American raid. Mohammed was shot on the spot. I remember another little terrorist who was killed four days ago in Baquba, a province north-east of Baghdad. This terrorist was10… no one knows why or how he was shot by one of thetroops while they were raiding his family’s house. They found no weapons, they found no Ba’athists, they found no WMD. I hope America feels safer now.
On top of it all, the borders between Iraq and Iran have been given to Badir’s Brigade to guard. Badir’s Brigade.Unbelievable. I thought the borders needed guarding to prevent armed militias like Badir’s Brigade from entering the country.We have a proverb in Arabic: “Emin il bezooneh lahmeh” which means “Entrust a cat with meat.” Yes, give the Iranian borders to Badir’s Brigade. Right on.
Just a couple of days ago, two female school principals were’ executed’ by Badir’s Brigade in Al-Belidiyat area in Baghdad. They were warned to resign their posts so that a ‘sympathetic’ principal could replace them. They ignored the threat, they were shot. It’s that simple these days. Of course, that’s not terrorism because the targets are Iraqi people. Terrorism is when the Coalition of the Willing are targeted.
Everyone is asking, ‘What should be done?’ Pull out the American troops. Take them home. Bring in UN peace-keeping troops under the Security Council – not led by America.
Let real Iraqis be involved in governing Iraq. Let Iraqis who actually have *families* living in Iraq be involved in governing their country. Let Iraqis who have something to lose govern the country. They aren’t being given a chance. As long as any Iraqi isn’t affiliated with one of the political groups on the Governing Council, no one bothers to listen.
We have thousands of competent, intelligent, innovative people who are eager to move forward but it’s impossible under these circumstances. There’s no security, there’s no work and there’s no incentive. AND THERE’S NO ONE WHO WILL LISTEN. If you’re not a part of the CPA or one of Ahmad Al-Chalabi’s thugs, then you’re worthless. You can’t be trusted.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Posted by Anonymous on September 16, 2003 06:19 PM
That is what the $87 billion is going for! It’s mind-bending. It’s insane. It’s business as usual in Washington. Who needs Al Qaeda to create terrorists when we have the U.S. army and Bush?! Why attack New York again when you have sitting ducks in Iraq and elsewhere around the world? Bush’s duck. Bam! You’re dead. And most of the world cheers. All bought and paid for with $87 billion. Cheap.
Posted by Anonymous on September 16, 2003 08:13 PM
It is not our fault if America engaged in war the majority of the world refused as illegitimate because fought for the wrong reasons. It is not our fault if people all over the world told America and its “allies” that it would not end well. We got the right for the “I told you so”, and we also have the right to refuse cleaning up the mess America made. I don´t believe anybody cheers the loss of a human life, as soldiers are generally perceived as simple pawns moved and wasted around by the Big Players who care nothing about what is fair, what is right, and life as gift from God. Still, we told you so. And if America takes too long, the price in money and lives is going to get unbearably higher, and then Osama´s Crew is going to laugh at how stupid America was. There is still a chance, but will Bush and Co pay the political price of it?
Posted by Vox on September 17, 2003 08:00 AM
What is going to happen next? Our fighting men and women will have to pay for their funerals if they are killed?
GET REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Billy on September 24, 2003 07:11 PM
Billy, Billy, Billy – stop being so shrill and partisan. If you were a Patriotic (Republican) American, you’d know that such Evul PCLibrul Meedya lies are only told to encourage terrorists to ‘bring it on’ against Our Brave Troops. And of course, anybody who tells terrorists to ‘bring it on’ against Our Brave Troops is an Evul Enemy Combatant (with no constitutional rights). Unless they’re the president, of course, in which case they are the God-Appointed Leader of the Free World (or at least, the Coalition of the Billing).
Since the efficient free market military contractors will provide eternal shelter for this expended sound bite opporunity unit, it’s only fair that the unit’s family pay for such lavish shelter. And since they might well be ‘lucky duckies’, paying no taxes (that we’ll count, anyway), they should have plenty of money to do so.
You don’t expect Uncle Sam to pay for such things, do you? His checkbook is firmly in the hands of the Crony Axis.
Posted by Barry on September 27, 2003 02:58 PM
Cspan reported this morning that this story is false. I am amazed that they would say this after I saw it on the national news the other day. Just thought you would like to know.
War is hell and it is the AMERICAN fighting man and woman who will be on the battle field. NO PROBLEM WE WILL FOLLOWORDERS AND EXECUTE THEM! WE ARE PREPARED TO DIE IFNEED BE! AMERICA RIGHT OR WRONG. Sorry if we love AMERICA! BY the way we know what it is to take an oath to protect our great country! I’m sorry some of you can’t understand what LOVE of COUNTRY IS!
Posted by SGT. J.R. MARTINEZ, USMC, 100% DISABLED VIETNAM COMBAT VETERAN on November 2, 2003 09:15 PM
Martinez, you aren’t special in that regard. I served in the Gulf War. You and I are both veterans. Nothing on this page is anti-American. You seem confused about how the Bill of Rights works. That oath you took was to the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment. Your semi-literate, incoherent ranting is not based on anything written here. Please, try to exercise some reading comprehension. Demanding that our leaders actually tell us the truth and NOT CHARGE THE WOUNDED FOR FUCKING JELL-O is what we ask.
Are you stupid, or just an asshole?