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thedrifter
07-15-03, 06:07 AM
Soldier Sounds Off



A letter to Hack.

Sir,

Read your column this morning over a bagel and a cup of coffee, and on of the things you mentioned really got me agitated.

In the past year, I've served back to back tours in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. I returned early to PCS to Korea. I'm a soldier, I understand what duty is, and my country needs me.

I'm also single, never married. It absolutely burns my ass that married soldiers get more money to PCS, more money in their basic allowance for housing, priority for on base housing, a family separation stipend (which just increased in October) when they deploy, and a first class family support infrastructure on every post that takes care of their loved ones when they're away. Every tour or deployment that I've been on the married soldiers are the first to rotate back...providing their comrades an incentive to get hitched before the next deployment. That they have the gall to throw the "family reasons" card on the table when it comes time for reenlistment is sick. I'm sorry, but too many military marriages are DOA (dead on the altar) to begin with because of the immature service members and their would-be spouses. I'm curious to know how the Marine Corps has done with their policy prohibiting first term Marines from marrying. Selfless Service? Didn't I read about that on my "Army Values" dog tag?

The next issue I want to sound off about is the Army World Class Athlete Program and the Army Soldier Show. Smells like Pork to me. Let me get this straight...we're at war...I'm in the Army...I don't have to go to combat if I'm in a chorus line traveling CONUS putting on song-and-dance shows or I can throw a javelin with the best in the world? Right. Got it. I can get behind the Golden Knights jumping at airshows as a recruiting tool; I can see the USAMU competing in shooting matches as a way to validate their training TTP's that filter out to the rest of the force. But when the Army is sponsoring a NASCAR team, a Top Fuel Dragster, a song and dance troupe, a team of Olympic athletes, black berets, Army Values dog tags and credit cards ... could I get some BBQ sauce with that pork?

Let's put all of that money back into the force in the form of better equipment and training for the soldiers, and get our soldiers focused on being soldiers.

A Soldier


http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Special%20Reports.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=10&rnd=61.91889157264019


Sempers,

Roger
:marine:

Devildogg4ever
07-15-03, 08:06 AM
The first thing is he's a Soldier, nobodys fault but his!

Second thing is the extra money they pay doesn't come out of his pocket, and is never enough.

The third thing is, IF the married ones get rotated sooner, good! Every morning, a married man gets up earlier, gets to base earlier, to make formation! We brought our own food, couldn't eat in the chow hall.

The fourth is, I'm glad the families have support! Didn't when I was in. He doesn't have to do anything with that!

The fifth is, I got married, with 2 years left in the Marine Corps. Still married to the same great, beautiful, lady!

The government gets the equipment and, or whatever it wants, regardless!

My wife read this, she was hot, and when she got to this part,

I'm sorry, but too many military marriages are DOA (dead on the altar) to begin with because of the immature service members and their would-be spouses.
She said no disrespect to any military man, but she wants to meet this one with a baseball bat!!

airframesguru
07-15-03, 11:06 AM
He sounds bitter. I married 1 year into the Corps, even with the "incentives" and pay, we struggled. It's damn hard when you are off base (waiting for base housing) trying to feed mommy and the kids, put up a roof, shoes etc. If felt bad that she couldn't shop like some of her friends. I guess its not the cake he must think it is. Many of those beautiful women make a big sacrifice.

firstsgtmike
07-15-03, 03:13 PM
#1

"I'm curious to know how the Marine Corps has done with their policy prohibiting first term Marines from marrying. "

I wasn't aware that this is now Marine Corps policy.

#2

Extra $ benefits? The only thing that counts is the money in your pocket on the last day of the month.

#3

I agree that an unmarried "fighting force" is preferred. However, practical considerations prove it's impossibility

.

ivalis
07-15-03, 05:14 PM
The same issues can be found in the civilian world. Health insurance & tax policies to name 2. It's considered "public policy". Whether or not this "public policy" is sound can always be debated.

crew
07-15-03, 06:21 PM
Airframesguru.........thank you, ...Semper Fi