Stephen King to pay for troops' holiday trip home

[RamboLiberal]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Author Stephen King and his wife are donating money so 150 soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard can come home for the holidays.

King and his wife, Tabitha, who live in Bangor, are paying $13,000 toward the cost of two bus trips so that members of the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Unit can travel from Camp Atterbury in Indiana to Maine for Christmas. The soldiers left Maine last week for training at Camp Atterbury. They are scheduled to depart for Afghanistan in January.

Julie Eugley, one of King's personal assistants, told the Bangor Daily News that the Kings were approached about giving $13,000.

But Stephen King thought the number 13 was a bit unlucky, so the couple pitched in $12,999 instead. Eugley chipped in $1 to make for an even $13,000.





Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/13/national/a064609S75.DTL#ixzz0ZcfuwUOL


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/13/national/a064609S75.DTL

[JI7]

1. they don't get this as part of their service ?

[havocmom]

2. Nope.

Serving people can sometimes catch a ride on military transport, space available, but it only gets them to another military base. To get HOME, they have to take care of the details, costs themselves. This was a very kind thing for the Kings to do.

People in the Guard usually have civilian jobs and have to take leaves when called up. It often means a cut in pay. Their civilian employers have to hold the jobs for them, but they are not required to pay or even make up the difference in wages. Some employers, like Sears, do make up the difference, but for many guards, the call up is also a financial hit.

[gimama]

6. hell,no..many Service Members are in

HEAVY credit card debt,having to pay for certain equipment,supplies, AND travel expenses. Few years ago, the Guys would get R & R last minute, Military would fly 'em "HOME" to the US of A, ONLY to 2 bases, 1 of which was Bangor, Maine. If the Guys wanted to go to THEIR HOMES & FAMILIES during their 2 wk 'break', THEY had to pay their own way. Since these were last-minute R&R's,they did NOT get any discount fares, many couldn't even get tickets, wasting DAYS, sitting in airports, on "stand-by".Many Families would have to meet their Soldier in an airport several states away, & drive them HOME, or make a nearby hotel their "HOME" for the "break".
Things may have improved, now, I sure HOPE(!) so. This is still a sore spot for me.. Not only were these situations EXTREMELY stressful, they kept the Active-Duty in hock up to their eyeballs..& at the end of enlistment, many Soldiers re-enlist, thinking the Military is their best FINANCIAL option.
"$1M per Soldier" ~NOW!~ & I bet they still end up paying way too much of their OWN 'personal' expenses. grrr! ..wow, pushed MY button, huh? ;)

[LakeSamish706]

8. And this needs to change ASAP under an Obama Administration.

These people should have all expenses paid for leave IMO. They never asked to be shipped over seas or out of state. I bet the Private army (BlackWater) pays all expenses for their people.

[gimama]

12. You're right, on all counts!

Although I do remember seeing some civilians giving up THEIR seats, so Soldiers COULD fly.. MOST folks ARE truly goood People.. when regular People *KNOW*, they care,deeply.

[MissDeeds]

9. +1

Pushed my button, too, gimama. No matter how you feel about the wars, you gotta love our troops!
God bless them! :grouphug:

[LakeSamish706]

13. Thats for sure, they are caught between a rock and a hard place, and have been

for years basically. Seems like in my life time we have been in one conflict or another constantly. Why the hell can't we just have peace and try to get along in this world.

[gimama]

14. Love the Soldiers/Vets & the Families

they *ARE* US, our Neighbors & Friends..
Sure tired of all this war,tho'.. thanks for Your reply!
:fistbump:

[bluedigger]

3. Takes awhile for news to travel west...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7216508

[ZombieHorde]

4. That is nice of him. nt

[ShortnFiery]

17. It would be if he did anonymously. Not like this. eom

[sabrina 1]

5. That's very nice of him. But what about all that 'money for the troops'

that Congress keeps using as an excuse to continue funding these disastrous wars? Trillions are being spent on them, yet there's not enough to pay for them to go home once in a while?

I bet mercenaries have enough money to travel. Especially since they are paid about ten times what the troops are being paid.

Good for Stephen King, although I wish that this story had shamed the war profiteers into spending a little on the troops. Blackwater or Halliburton eg, I'm sure that's pocket change for them.

This whole war business is just despicable. A waste of lives and a waste of money that is badly needed in this country right now.

[silverweb]

7. Nice.

:thumbsup:

[MissDeeds]

10. Thank you Stephen King

K&R

[marybourg]

11. During the Vietnam War, Barry Goldwater ran a bank of

shortwave (ham) radios in his house, night and day, helped by volunteers, to allow military to be "patched in" to their home phones to talk to their family (no satellite or cell phones or e-mail in those days). The electricity for the powerful transmitters needed to reach Vietnam cost him about $3000 a month (even more money then than it is now). And this went on for several years. I don't think many people knew about this in those less media-saturated days. Kind of makes me think of ole Barry a little differently.

[David Zephyr]

15. Here's to the Kings.

!

[wpsedgwick]

16. I love you Stephen King...

Your amazing literary feats as well as your generousity. Check out the Gunslinger series at a bookstore near you...Seriously.