Posted on 02/04/2008 7:23:09 AM PST by grame
My son is schedule to leave for Iraq in 20 days. He has spent the last 3 weeks in advanced training. First day in training they say they have none of his re-up paperwork. He has been getting paid for the last 4 months so someone knows he's there. He re-uped for 6 years with a 15,000 bonus. since they've lost his papers they signed him for 1 year and no bonus. They say it is his fault. We have the recruiters signature and the validation number for the 15,000. Where do we go from here? He is beside himself trying to reconcile this at a time when he should be spending carefree time with his wife. I don't know where to start to help him. any suggesstions?
Any advice here Arrowhead?
For example, John Kerry has had a heck of a time producing his discharge papers.
If the recruiter is of no help, then contact an attorney asap. They should not be able to get away with this BS.
First of all, may your son stay safe and please thank him for serving our country.
I don’t think he needs to be worried now and as you said he should take this time to be with his family and relax. It should all work out after they wade through the snafu. If not, ask his congressional representative’s office for help.
A week or so before I left for basic training, I was stopped by a cop for speeding. When I asked him for a break because I was leaving for the Army he told me not to worry, I won’t need a driver’s license where I was going. He was right. LOL
I called an atty this morning, one I know is a Nat’l Guard guy. But he has yet to return my call. We do have all the paperwork. He has been working on this for the last 3 weeks, but with the training, it doesn’t leave much time to follow up. Spence is calling his ‘career counselor’(don’t know if that is exactly what he called it) and then he said I could start calling anyone I wanted to.
I knew if I ask here, I would get help and encouragement.
I’m glad to know that you are on top of this. Stay with it and don’t give up. Your son deserves that and more. God Bless him for his service and sacrifice.
since they've lost his papers they signed him for 1 year and no bonus.
Did he keep his copy? The unit should have given him a copy and he should have one in his 201 (personnel) file.
Thanks!
Thank you. We have sent all the papers(53 pages we scanned and emailed). But because my son sent them from his email address, I’m not sure who they went to. I realize that this will probably all get worked out, but they needed that money back in July when he signed up, and now they need it even more, to reconcile some things before he leaves.
He is frustrated but this morning he said to me, “Mom, I know I’m supposed to go.” He has told me before he needs to go to take care of the guys under him.
We are so proud of him. He has been GI Joe since he was three years old.
It hurts to see him frustrated over a ‘paper trail mistake’.
One year from right now he will be in Iraq and eligible to reenlist again. This time it will be tax Free.
???
I had several browsers open, and failed to tell you to tell your son “Thanks for his service”. I also wanted to ping some of the Canteen regulars since they may have more advice on this matter.
He may want to go see the Jag Officer for help in this matter too. Losing the paperwork is always a unit’s easy out, but this is ridiculous.
Who are “they”? If it is a recruiting station, try to solve the problem thru the recruiter’s chain of command, If it’s a retention NCO in his Guard unit, contact the unit Commander and go up from there. If those measures fail, contact the U.S. Army Recruiting Command Inspector General (IG)(502) 223-3735, or failing all else contact your Congress critter to file a congressional inquiry.
THANK YOU. I had already looked up the numbers for all the ‘critters’, but that chain of command thing is what I knew I was missing. I will fwd that info to him immediately.
First off he should not have signed the 1 year deal if he had a 6 year deal in place. But here’s what I’d do, first contact the Command Sgt Major of the unit, he takes care of the enlisted and has direct communication to commander. Second, write your congreeman and explain the situation, his/her staff can request a clarification from the Army. If all else fails there is a procedure your son can use to request a correction to his records from the Board of Corrections Military Records (BCMR). I used that procedure in 86 to pick up a bonus that I could have applied for in 81 when I was deployed but my unit never got the message so we didn’t know about it.
Thanx for the PING, Sarmajor.
Grame, there have been several good suggestions here, and as a reformed (former) Recruiter, I’ll add these:
Contact the recruiter’s Area Manager. That person has the responsibility to see that his peoples’ enlistments are valid. The AM has a vested interest, as it’s on his name as well.
According to what you’ve told me, the recruiter’s name is on the contract, your son’s name is on the contract, so it’s binding on the part of the service. That means, if you get stonewalled, you can walk into the IG’s office and utter those two most dreaded of words: FRAUDULENT ENLISTMENT. That code phrase is GUARANTEED to get Recruiter Command’s attention.
What CPT Clay said is true: if you can last the siege, your boy can re-up in theater and get it all tax free. There were a lot of troops I went with who took advantage of that (including one ex-recruiter who knew how to hustle the system).
You saved your packet, so that’s one in your corner. Maintain that documentation, and don’t lose it.
Your son chose to enter the service, and he did so under an agreement in good fauith. There is NOTHING wrong with holding ig Army’s feet to the flames to make them honor their commitment to his commitment. Keep at it, and keep us posted!
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