I have sat here, patiently,
attempting to do my duty as the spouse of an officer in the U.S. Army. Be supportive. Be respectful. Well, that’s it. I can no longer be respectful of a government
that does not respect the many sacrifices the members of our military and their
families have given over and over, time and time again.
Recently, the retirement benefits
of our military, current and past, have been slashed. Not in the way that most civilians understand,
but in a very underhanded manner…basically costing my husband $125,000. Stretched over time, that may not seem like
it will be a huge impact to us. But
regardless of how it seems, the reality is that it will affect the decision we
make when we choose our “forever” home, how much assistance we will be able to
afford to give our children when they choose what college to attend. It could ultimately affect whether they choose
to go to college.
Now, as if that weren’t enough, it
seems like our housing allowance is in jeopardy. So let me explain to you why our housing
allowance is so critical and important. We
move. We move a lot. Housing is different in each and every place
we move. Think about it this way. We could be in some rural, small town in
Alabama or Missouri one minute and then in Hawaii or California another. So housing is calculated separately from base
pay because of that very reason; the cost of living varies from place to place,
state to state. When a civilian accepts
a job, that money is always calculated into their base pay according to where
the job is located. Since we are such a
transient population, it’s entirely impossible to do that. Also, we only receive a housing allowance if
we live off post or if the on-post housing is privatized. Unfortunately, most military posts have a
housing shortage and we are required to rent or even purchase off-post. Regardless, it’s a burdensome process, but
it’s a process we go through every few years…some almost every year.
The change that is being proposed,
according to Army Times, (*disclaimer:
I’ve only had the opportunity to read the cover so I am making a few
assumptions about the proposal based on my experience and history.) is that
Single Soldiers and Soldiers with Dependents will receive the same BAH. As of now, those with Dependents get extra to
cover the housing needs of having a family.
Now, I am absolutely not opposed to allowance equity. I’ve often wondered about it in the
past. But, we know with all the cuts of
late, single soldiers aren’t getting an allowance boost. So what does that mean? That means that they will CUT the housing
allowance of all those classified as “with dependents” (*).
I’m fairly positive that the cost
of living ANYWHERE is NOT going down, so I can’t possibly figure out how a
family is going to work, yet another, cut into their budget.
Retirement Benefits….Tricare
Reimbursements….Housing Allowance…Seriously?
Why don’t you just cut their pay?
That’s what it’s coming down to, right?
Our military families are what
makes this country great…we are the BACKBONE of this country. Its strength was built upon our
sacrifices. Our government and those that stand idly by
allowing this to continue to happen over and over again are the reason why our
country is circling the drain. Harsh,
but true.
When my husband told us that he was
deploying…well, at first I was ok with it.
I didn’t question that at all.
But over time, I began to see all that which our government was doing
through a much different lens. I’ve been
through deployments and separations before, but for whatever reason I was
viewing this one with much more clarity.
Maybe it was because I wasn’t pregnant or post-partum. Who knows!
My point is, each and every day
that goes by…Each and every decision against the military and military family
that is made by our government…Each and every time we’re told to “Embrace the
suck”…I begin to realize that maybe it just isn’t worth it all. It isn’t worth the sacrifice my children are
making.
There are few constants out there
for a military family member and there are even fewer out there for the
soldier; so when we make a commitment to our country, we expect the same in
return. Those constants don’t come in
the form of our soldier being home at dinner time, or the weekends. That which is constant to us is separation
and the fear of loss…a lot of it…many years of it. Another constant that we SHOULD be able to
count on are the monthly entitlements that we have been promised, including
housing and medical care.
So here are some examples of the
things that our government deems more worthy than our military:
- $5 million worth of crystal glassware to accompany the $400,000 worth of booze purchased by the State Department. (Heritage Foundation, Dec 2013)
- $1 million rock “sculpture” for the embassy in London to presumably let all the UKers there know how much we appreciate their relationship. (Heritage Foundation, Dec 2013)
- $1 million heated pavement at a bus stop in Arlington, VA presumably so the cold-hearted government workers commuting into DC won’t freeze to death. (Heritage Foundation, Dec 2013)
- $10 million to “subsidize” the promotional campaign for Superman: Man of Steel to inform theater-goers of all the great and awesome opportunities the Army National Guard has to offer; never mind the fact that they will cut 8,000 people from their personnel roster, not to mention the 200,000 that will be cut from the Army. Sunk cost? Yeah, probably! (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $500 million to guarantee loans to those looking to purchase homes in resort communities, such as Hawaii. (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $360,000 to NASA for bed rest research…that’s right, 70+ days for 20 people to lay around and do nothing! (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $280,000+ to send a bunch of music executives around the globe promoting “Indie Rock” music because THEY need to “find new revenue streams.” (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $295 million TAX REFUND to Facebook. This one speaks for itself, but just to remind you…that little geek is worth about $40billion! (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $1.95 million for Senate Staffers to get Lifestyle Coaching. Do we really care if they party themselves into oblivion or that they are stressed out and over-worked? (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
- $65 million of Hurricane Sandy Emergency Funds were spent on tourism related television ads. (The Wastebook, Dec 2013)
These are ONLY a few handpicked
items to show you just how much crap is being wasted out there and then when
the turnip is bled dry the government comes knocking on the Military Familiy’s
door. Why? Why are those stupid issues more
important? Why does the military have to
“embrace the suck,” as Nancy Pelosi put it?
Why can’t those Senate Staffers embrace a little? What about those damn music executives? Are the gold-lined pockets falling apart to
the point that we, the military family, should make that sacrifice? Can the State Department just use a Red Solo
Cup like everyone else? Was it necessary…really
necessary to buy that expensive crystal?
Nowhere else to cut, huh
Nancy? Huh, Mr. President? Hey, Paul Ryan…couldn’t negotiate ANYTHING
else? I suggest you get your head out of your ass look a little harder!
Whether you agree with this war or not makes no difference. This country asked its military and their families to make a sacrifice and they did that...they do that every day. So now, you owe them your voice. Stop posting all the sweet, heart-felt little memes all over Facebook saying how you support the military. Stop and show them. Stand with the military and be their advocate...their UNION!
Call your worthless Congressman…Call
your worthless Senator…hell, even call the White House…and demand that they
stop breaking their promises to our military and their families. Tell them to stop making their burden greater
and their sacrifices worth less. Tell
them STOP before there is no one else left to fight for this country. Tell them to stop before all the ones willing to volunteer to fight stand up, give them all the middle finger and walk away! Who will defend The Constitution then?
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