thedrifter
02-05-06, 06:33 AM
Marines expand program of reimbursement for combat gear
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 5, 2006
Marines can be reimbursed for additional protective gear including side plates and deltoid plates, according to a Marine Corps administrative announcement.
The announcement comes in the wake of a media report that few servicemembers have sought reimbursement from the Defense Department for personally purchased protective gear, said Defense Department spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin on Saturday.
“This memo from the Marines (and you’ll have to go back to them) is a result, it appears of few of their folks asking for reimbursement on certain items,” Irwin wrote in an e-mailed response to questions.
Reached by telephone Saturday, a Marine Corps spokeswoman said she could not comment on the administrative announcement until Monday.
In October 2005, the Defense Department issued guidelines on how to reimburse troops who purchased protective gear before deploying to Iraq.
MARADMIN 057/07 lists several “additional items” for which Marines can be reimbursed.
Marines can now be reimbursed up to $600 per side plate body armor set and up to $285 per set of deltoid plates, the announcement says.
A May 2005 study by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology looked at 93 Marines who died of torso wounds and found that 74 deaths were caused by projectiles that struck the servicemembers at exposed areas such as the shoulders and the uncovered sides of the armor.
The next month, Marine commanders requested side plates be sent to Iraq. As of January, more than 9,000 plates had been sent to Iraq with about 19,000 more due to be delivered by April.
The Army has also sent more than 170,000 sets of deltoid plates to Iraq.
Marines can also be reimbursed up to $20 per set of knee pads and elbow pads and up to $18 per pair of summer weight gloves, the announcement says.
The Marine Corps cautions families of Marines from buying body armor and other gear because they may not be up to Marine Corps standards.
Contact info
To submit a reimbursement claim, e-mail smbhqmcrfoexecution@hqmc.usmc.mil or contact:
Lt. Col. Michael Cordero at corderome@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-692-5099, DSN 222- 5099.
Matthew D. Shaffer at shaffermd@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-692-5406, DSN 222- 5406.
Other points of contact are:
Capt. Terrell Hood at Marine Corps Base Quantico Supply Office at terrell.hood@usmc.mil or 703-784- 6696, DSN 278-6696; Tim Florian, for equipment recovery and disposition, at florianta@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-695-8926, DSN 225-8926.
Ellie
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 5, 2006
Marines can be reimbursed for additional protective gear including side plates and deltoid plates, according to a Marine Corps administrative announcement.
The announcement comes in the wake of a media report that few servicemembers have sought reimbursement from the Defense Department for personally purchased protective gear, said Defense Department spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin on Saturday.
“This memo from the Marines (and you’ll have to go back to them) is a result, it appears of few of their folks asking for reimbursement on certain items,” Irwin wrote in an e-mailed response to questions.
Reached by telephone Saturday, a Marine Corps spokeswoman said she could not comment on the administrative announcement until Monday.
In October 2005, the Defense Department issued guidelines on how to reimburse troops who purchased protective gear before deploying to Iraq.
MARADMIN 057/07 lists several “additional items” for which Marines can be reimbursed.
Marines can now be reimbursed up to $600 per side plate body armor set and up to $285 per set of deltoid plates, the announcement says.
A May 2005 study by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology looked at 93 Marines who died of torso wounds and found that 74 deaths were caused by projectiles that struck the servicemembers at exposed areas such as the shoulders and the uncovered sides of the armor.
The next month, Marine commanders requested side plates be sent to Iraq. As of January, more than 9,000 plates had been sent to Iraq with about 19,000 more due to be delivered by April.
The Army has also sent more than 170,000 sets of deltoid plates to Iraq.
Marines can also be reimbursed up to $20 per set of knee pads and elbow pads and up to $18 per pair of summer weight gloves, the announcement says.
The Marine Corps cautions families of Marines from buying body armor and other gear because they may not be up to Marine Corps standards.
Contact info
To submit a reimbursement claim, e-mail smbhqmcrfoexecution@hqmc.usmc.mil or contact:
Lt. Col. Michael Cordero at corderome@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-692-5099, DSN 222- 5099.
Matthew D. Shaffer at shaffermd@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-692-5406, DSN 222- 5406.
Other points of contact are:
Capt. Terrell Hood at Marine Corps Base Quantico Supply Office at terrell.hood@usmc.mil or 703-784- 6696, DSN 278-6696; Tim Florian, for equipment recovery and disposition, at florianta@hqmc.usmc.mil or 703-695-8926, DSN 225-8926.
Ellie