Good article CG. Nice to see you posting again.
Franc, there is a strong chance CG's article is NOT the one you read previously.
No that was Cindy Williams original article published in 2000,
(
Our GIs Earn Enough
By Cindy Williams
Wednesday, January 12, 2000; Page A19)
,,,,,long before she
didn't work for Obama. It pissed me off then and later when the chaim mails came out blaming (incorrectly) President Elect Obama. It still does.
In 2000 my son was still suffering from injuries, about to become a civilian on a general discharge for medical reasons and listed with no disability. All because the Navy brass judged that he wouild eventualy heal. He did not.
The mood and moral of the military at that time was low for many reasons, not the least of which was pay. The feeling that Washinton didn't have their backs was very prevalent in the ranks.. The result of 8 years of the Clintons. The enlisted, and officers, openly joked about it at the base.
My son's case was not unusual back then. They fed him high doses of pain killers and when he didn't heal, they classed him
unfit for duty just before he crossed 24 months and cashiered him out. Even his IT assignment to the Base Admiral Office where he was top notch, couldn't save his career. Or his Legs.
My son receives nothing from the Navy for his disabilities. My wife and I must pick up the costs and help support his family. Several attempts to appeal have failed to correct this problem. The Navy has abandoned him. Forturtunately, he has since been deemed 100% disabled by SS.
Yes, I have a dog in this hunt. Yes, I hold a bit of a grudge. But I know too many military and ex military personel who have these kind of stories to tell. Our leaders speak of taking care of the men and women who are injured while serving their country ,,,,but they don't. GOP and Democrats, both. And the Pentagon Brass aren't much better.
Wounded Warriors and other notable organizations are privately funded by donations. But my kid's injuries aren't counted because of the sleazy way he was discharged to meet budgets. Not exactly news in the long sordid history of how we treat our military.
I am glad CG is posting and that she pointed the misrepresentation out,
The connection to Obama was wrong, but I never claimed that. However, it was not relavent to my point.
As for Ms Williams article,,,I do not agree with you. It was statistcaly and factualy wrong and her comparisons were often unfair.
For instance, a firefighter in 2000 made significanltly more than an army grunt. I was one and no way did we face the hardships of military life. In the end we never really pay them for what they do. And now that the professionalism of our military is so much higher, we do not pay them fairly, even for their skill sets.