Posted on 02/03/2010 11:39:55 AM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
Three years after returning from Iraq, Minnesota soldiers are still waiting for bonus pay promised to them by the government. The money is caught in a bureaucratic mess.
In 2005, 2,500 Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq. It became the longest deployment of any infantry unit since World War II.
In 2007, after 22 months on active duty and 16 months in Iraq, the "Red Bull" 34th Infantry Brigade returned home with a promise from the federal government. They would receive bonus pay for their long service.
Col. Bill Lieder with the Minnesota National Guard said, "It's really time they get their benefit. They get what's coming to them."
Lieder had a thousand "Red Bull" soldiers under his command in Iraq.
He said it is personally difficult for him to make waves with the military, but he said it is disgraceful that he and his soldiers haven't been paid their bonuses.
"They've been promised this benefit. It has not been paid and a lot of them have just written it off," said Lieder. "Well, I haven't. They deserve it and we're going to stay on this thing until it gets completed."
(Excerpt) Read more at kstp.com ...
saw that on tv last night too...love that photo of our Red Bulls.
infuriating story, but not surprising at all.
Did they get this “Promise” in writing? If not they may not get squat.
Elections have consequences.....some just take a while.
This has been going on for 3 years now...
The same amount of time the rats have had Congress. Do you honestly think this has nothing to do with that sign from the 04 election? Rats never forget a slight!
Email addresses for irate Freepers to send messages to would have been nice.
Remember what happened to those guys?
from the article:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS took the complaints of the Minnesota Guard to two Minnesota congressmen—Rep. Tim Walz (D) and Rep. John Kline (R). Both are military veterans.
Walz once served with the Red Bulls and knows about the sacrifice of leaving family behind on deployments.
He said, “Yes, we have to balance the budget. Yes, there has to be tough decisions made, but not on the backs of veterans, not on those who served in combat, not on what was promised them and is due.”
Kline said, “They’re dragging their feet and as we ramp up the heat from congress they’ll move.”
My take:
more to do with government inefficiencies and red tape than anything..
“Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity”
Sort of like the promise of free health care for military retirees for life?
John Kline
http://kline.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=7§iontree=4,7
Tim Walz
https://forms.house.gov/walz/webforms/zip_auth.shtm
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