Letters - Army Community - Army Discussions - Army Times

Letters

Help homeless vets

It is intriguing to know almost 40 percent of homeless men in America today are veterans of the military who have fought for your freedom. The sad fact is that of this estimated 40 percent, almost 75 percent of those served in the Vietnam War.

During the height of the Vietnam conflict, our brave men and women tragically became addicted to drugs, due in no small part to the military’s very relaxed substance abuse policy at the time.

Upon redeployment stateside, a great majority of these servicemen and women struggled daily with abuse issues. As a result, they were discharged (dishonorably) for the most part and the military failed to take care of its own. It was easier to just discharge soldiers than to worry about how to correct the problems associated with heavy ground combat.

The challenge that exists for the military today is to re-examine the individual cases of these Korea and Vietnam veterans and give them the treatment and benefits that many of them so rightfully deserve. We must fight for those whose voices have been forgotten.

— Staff Sgt. Kenneth Wade Aden, Fort Bragg, N.C.

END DANGEROUS CUSTOMS

It is hard for me to believe the Army would tolerate soldiers giving their platoon leader a “pink belly,” farewell whacks in the stomach, upon his departure from their unit in Afghanistan [“Parting Shot,” Aug. 2].

It is reminiscent of the scenes in the movie “The Hurt Locker” where the soldiers all got drunk and beat each other up.

Where do these dangerous and ridiculous “customs” come from?

Not from the old Army. Life was tough enough so that no one wanted to do that.

I thought we had done away with all that adolescent stuff, and drunken “prop blast” parties and “blood pinning of jump wings” are now discouraged. We pay “professional” soldiers too much money to have them beating one another up.

I thought they were in Afghanistan to fight the enemy, not themselves. Soldiers should keep their hands off the officers, and vice versa.

— Lt. Col. Thomas D. Morgan (ret.), Steilacoom, Wash.

SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS

Featured on the cover of Time magazine this month is the picture of a disfigured Afghan woman, the result of Taliban cruelty. As upsetting as the image may be, I wonder what the result would be if they covered their pages with pictures of disfigured soldiers, parentless children and shattered families.

The result would be more anger over a war with no clear objective, no clear borders and no one clearly in control.

Why are they building permanent barracks and facilities in a country we are planning on leaving?

Why do high-paid civilian contractors stand around watching Afghan workers make three dollars a day, doing all of the labor?

Why do U.S. soldiers wait for hours in line to use a phone or computer in a Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility? They do because it is packed with contractors. The same contractors who treat us like second-class citizens in the bubble of security we provide.

In the wake of revelations about misplaced funds throughout the war, why is no one answering for this?

I’m sorry that bad things happen in the world. But it’s hard for me to care when my own children suffer emotional trauma because of my deployments. And where is the money for the counseling they are supposed to receive?

It’s in the bank account of the clean civilian contractor who looks down on me from his SUV as he blows dirt all over my buddies and me while we wait for a bus to take us to chow.

— Staff Sgt. Stephen Rogers, Big Rock, Tenn.

2 CAMOS: NO BRAINER

If the Army was going to go to MultiCam cold turkey and ditch the Universal Camouflage Pattern, it would cost a fortune and defeat the purpose of trying to reduce the soldier’s “clothing bag” inventory.

I have noticed common sense is not always a common virtue when it comes to budgets and financial decisions.

Only those on the decision board will know the real reason why they voted the way they did. Perhaps it was because the Marines had a cool digital pattern and we needed to have one too.

But maybe if they looked at pictures of the soldier standing in front of a tree line when the uniform was introduced and realized it was very easy to spot, they may have voted differently.

I agree we should go to a two-uniform inventory and allow soldiers to wear the uniform that best blends in to their surroundings. But who will front the cost to have our field gear in two separate camo patterns? It doesn’t look like Washington has any cash to spare to help us out of a bad decision.

— Capt. Charles A. Caruana, Detroit

Make BRONZE STAR count

I couldn’t help but see the latest medal count in the Army Times showed that 124,252 Bronze Stars have been awarded since 2002. When my deployment to Afghanistan in 2004-2005 ended, the Bronze Star was given to every E-7 and above and every single officer, regardless of their actual performance. When I asked why that was, I was told that it was the standard for every returning unit. These numbers certainly suggest it was true then and remains true now.

I just thought I’d point out that my grandfather fought for 2½ years in Italy, France, Belgium and Germany and did not receive his until 1954, long after he also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and went home severely injured.

It remains the most prized possession of my family, an heirloom passed carefully down the generations.

At what point did such a prestigious medal, one that ought to be earned, become just another longevity award?

— Spc. Alexandra Grey, Fort Drum, N.Y.

THE WRONG APPROACH

It’s really embarrassing for me to hear and read what our senior leadership is saying about suicides in the Army. These guys and gals are supposed to be America’s smartest, but they’re not even looking at this problem from the lower-enlisted-soldier level. Where are the command sergeant majors and sergeant majors?

I’ll tell you. They’re out doing everything except what they’re supposed to be doing and that’s taking care of troops.

You also have the junior officer who’s out to make a name for himself at the expense of his soldiers and not caring for their well-being.

I’m all about training for war and ensuring our soldiers are mentally fit and physically able, but look at your audience before you start a high operations tempo program.

An example of this is when a soldier goes to war and then returns, the officers that he spent a year with are now gone and a new set of green, single officers show up full of piss and vinegar and start the cycle again.

They don’t care about soldiers’ married lives.

The warriors of today never stop, no matter where they are.

— Master Sgt. Edward E. Jackson, Kabul, Afghanistan

DoD BROKE CONTRACT

I cannot believe the Defense Department is once again trying to renege on the promise to spouses enrolled in the My Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program.

My wife is enrolled in a two-year registered nurse program with support from MyCAA. But because I am a chief warrant officer 4 she will lose her MyCAA benefits after this fall semester.

Am I wrong? Or did DoD enter into a contract with my wife when she was accepted into the program?

DoD should not be allowed to break that contract.

— Chief Warrant Officer 4 Paul M. Steele, Fort Rucker, Ala.