Posted on 05/31/2010 9:47:30 PM PDT by AuntB
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Gary Pfleider II served his country for six years before he became a member of the new generation of disabled veterans.
Pfleider, a former Oregon National Guard soldier, was shot by a sniper while on patrol in Iraq in September 2007. He has only vague memories of the event, but now must live with a permanent reminder -- a brace he'll have to wear on his leg for the rest of his life.
"I remember grabbing a hold of my leg, and realizing I had blood on my hands," he said. "And from that point on until I got loaded onto the Stryker was just a big blur."
Three days after he was shot, Pfleider received a Purple Heart.
Almost two years later, he received a bill from the military for missing equipment.
The sum of the bill, which includes interest, is $3,175. It itemizes a list of gear the military issued to Pfleider that did not come back with his unit in 2008. The lists includes clothing items, canteens and grenades.
Pfleider, who now walks with a cane, believes the items were lost after he was flown out of the country for medical treatment. He doesn't believe he should be held responsible for the items, but the military disagrees.
The federal government has been deducting money from his disability check each month to cover the billed costs. And Pfleider said the feds withheld his tax return for the same reason.
Capt. Stephan Bomar with the Oregon National Guard said the bill was issued by Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where Pfleider spent a year recovering from his injury. Bomar added it is customary for soldiers in Pfleider's situation to be billed for missing equipment.
"It's one of the processes. That way, we keep good accountability for the equipment," he said.
Bomar said Pfleider should submit a sworn statement explaining his situation and requesting reimbursement.
But Pfleider has already done that. He still has a copy of his sworn statement, which he signed and submitted at the Albany, Oregon armory in February. The former soldier fears his case is lost in a pile of paperwork between Oregon and Washington.
"Honestly, I do. I think it's just sitting somewhere on somebody's desk at Fort Lewis, and they just don't want to mess with it because they don't think it's a big enough issue," he said.
But to Pfleider, who is scheduled to undergo his ninth leg surgery, the delay is an additional source of stress.
"To me, it's my livelihood," he said.
The veteran is still battling with flashbacks, and trying to adjust to civilian life. He said he never thought he'd have to fight the military once he returned home.
"Car going down a road, backfiring -- it still sends me into flashbacks of being over there. But I deal with it, because I know it's part of my life that's never going to leave," he said.
Lewis-McChord officials said they're looking into Pfleider's charges. Bomar said unless the charges are found to be erroneous, Pfleider will still have to pay the full sum.
FUBAR
To state the obvious, this does not inspire confidence in the armed forces and the people who run them. Is this just te Oregon National Guard, or do other National Guards do this?
What next? BYOA - bring your own ammo? Buy a ticket for the flight to Iraq/Afghanistan or that ride in the tank? HUMVEEs with taxi meters?
Moronic bureaucrats!
Agree, having been in the military I can say this...If they wanted to do something about this bad enough, they would have. All it takes is the right command section with big enough balls to make this right.
Right now, it looks like shaming them into it is about the only thing that has a chance of fixing this.
Just my rhetorical question for the day: How in the hell is a trooper being evac’ed supposed to keep all of his “gear” with him when the medical personnel are tossing it aside so they can do their job?
“To state the obvious, this does not inspire confidence in the armed forces and the people who run them. Is this just te Oregon National Guard, or do other National Guards do this?”
I don’t know, Clintonfatigued. I did hear another story similar to this one a few weeks ago, but don’t remember the details.
Roger that!!
Thank you for specifying ... I was starting to get offended.
;'}
He left the battlefield in his gear and hit the ramp at Ramstein wearing a hospital gown. I'm pretty sure he didn't make a stop at FEDEX to ship his gear home.
What utter bullshit! This story PISSES ME OFF!
Damn good info, thanks.
Th military has done this before. They want every bullet and canteen accounted for and think in war people will know what has happened to every dust bunny. This is what happenes with a PC military run by “managers” and not warriors.
Reminds me of a story told by some VN era SEALs. Seems that much gear was lost/unaccounted for, and the paperwork was sorta rolled over from deployment to deployment, as SEAL platoons rotated in and out.
So, when a stray VC rocket hit the SEAL conex box.....lo and behold, there were about ten 18-wheelers worth of gear in that box, that was destroyed! Paperwork problem solved!
Are they sure it was a VC rocket?
This is 42 years ago; a guy got dinged bad enough fot a Dust Off. Cut all constricting equipment, do first aid, evac. Bod went one way, equipment the other, never knew anyone who was charged for lost stuff in that situation.
Good question!
Yeah, McDonalds does seem to be hiring some guys his age for the only job he's actually qualified for, as is Wal*Mart.
Bingo. Certainly the equipment needs to be accounted for, but a report of survey with one or two statements (or a 15-6 if sensitive items were among the missing equipment) and a field grade signature and this soldier's troubles should be over. Some staff puke f'ed up, and this soldier is paying the price.
“Gentlemen, congratulations. You’re everything we’ve come to expect from years of government training.”
—Agent Zed (Rip Torn), “Men In Black”
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