Don’t let this happen.
I served with many Australian sailors who were treated this way after Vietnam - all the sailors on the troopship HMAS Sydney and her escorts were told they hadn’t served in Vietnam despite repeated trips there and sitting in Vung Tau harbour for days at a time within range of enemy mortar fire. It was a disgusting act by a cowardly government who just wanted to save money on pensions.
It took until the mid 1990s to fix it.
If you deploy into a situation where you can reasonably expect to be attacked, you deserve to be recognised as having served in a combat situation.
John Kerry can give some pointers on how to make a splinter look like a gunshot...
URBAN LEGEND ALERT!
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/combatpay.asp
Calm down, everyone. Combat pay HAS changed. But not like this says. Originally, if you spent only 1 day in theater, you got combat pay for an entire month. They have changed to the member receiving a certain amount per day ($7.50), which will add up to exactly the combat pay amount you usually receive for the month ($225) if you are there the entire time. If you are only there for two days, then you only get 16 bucks. Our unit received this briefing, I’m just sourcing Snopes because its easier.
Truth be known, I like this change. There’s nothing more frustrating than when a ground pounder spends an entire month downrange and gets the same sum as guy who shows up for two or three days as a maintenance guy on a rotator. In fact, I’ve known people who intentionally delayed their return stateside to the 2nd of the month, to get an entire month of combat pay.
Although I agree with the overarching argument that the military is getting the raw end, this isn’t one of them. It pays people based on how long they are in theater.
When you are in a country where you don’t know what the enemy looks like or where he or she may come from, your in the line of fire.
I just wish that instead of “cutting” police and fire and our military they would just once say, ok we will cut white collar and secretaries.
Crap
Actually, two days at $7.50 should be 15 bucks. Public school math, sorry.
I never knew they piled crap as high as this s.o.b.
Going on a shooting offensive themselves does not count as combat? Dealing with IEDs doesn’t? So what does? I never thought much about that.
How about a law that says he doesn’t get paid if he doesn’t do his job. He has not solved a single problem, and in fact, has made every problem worse.
I doubt that Obama initiated this, because he is too stupid and timid, but to go along with this shows the he is a putz of the first order.
....but, he’s making the public at large pay for everyone’s recreational sex.
Perhaps we should require Il Douche [and Congress] to do their job in order to receive THEIR pay.
With Obama in the White Hut, every man, woman, and child in the USA is a Veteran of Foreign Wars.
This is the third time I’ve seen the story here. As someone who has first hand knowledge of the change, let me tell you combat pay isn’t being pulled. The old rules were that you only had to be in a Immiment Danger Area for 1 day to receive an entire month’s worth of combat pay ($225). What you would get would be a lot of what I term “War Tourists” who would show up on the 30th and leave on the 1st, thus getting two months of combat pay for a few days. Also, you would get “Tourists” who would only seem to show up in Iraq/Afghanistan to drop off their gear as they would spend many days in Germany on “official business.” The DOD has broken down the $225 into $7.50 daily incraments (sp) and will now distribute it on a daily basis. Personally I think this is a good idea to combat waste. Also, while we’re at it we should look at was consitutes an Immiment Danger Area. As of now places like Turkey (a PCS post), Kuwait, and Manas (where Soldiers/Airmen can take MWR trips off post), receive combat pay. That makes no sense. If anything I’d rather see the Korea guys get combat pay before those posts since they have an entire enemy Army North of them and everyone knows the job of the 8th Army is to act as a speedbump long enough for the rest of the military to get to Pusan.
If true, then may I humbly suggest that the POTUS may not receive US Secret Service protection until HE IS FIRED upon?
Denying the tiny pittance that is combat pay to most in the combat zone shows far more about this administration and president than all his praise of armed forces. That praise comes out as sarcasm and this is his gotcha.
**Obama: Soldiers in Afghanistan Must Be Fired Upon to Receive Combat Pa**
Huh?
Combat involves much more than receiving and returning fire.
Obama is a nitwit.
LOL, when I first saw this I thought, this gotta be Semmens again. Its not Satire?