"For Doing My Job-You're Going To Bill Me?" Iraqi Vets Being Charged For 'Debt Of Service'

[kpete]

Army's 'Debt Of Service' Leaves Vets Perplexed
Unbelievably, Soldiers Must Pay For Damaged Equipment

Kirstin Cole
Reporting

(CBS) NEW YORK Servicemen and women who made huge sacrifices fighting in the war and now paying yet another price, even after coming home.

One soldier in particular is currently battling against a new "debt of service."

Brian Rodriguez is a fighter, an honorably discharged soldier who'd been deployed in Iraq.

"I was a combat engineer," Rodriguez said. "We deal with land mines, explosives."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Former Army Specialist Rodriguez started getting bills for $700 for lost or damaged government property this summer. Although he was discharged some four years ago, bills recently arrived demanding payment, but giving no details on what or why -- nor do they offer a way to dispute the charges.

"For doing my job you're going to bill me?" Rodriguez said.

And he's not alone. A 2006 government report found more than 1,000 soldiers being billed a total of $1.5 million. And while fighting overseas put their lives on the line, this battle on paper could cost them their future by ruining their credit. Rodriguez will be reported to credit agencies next month.

more at:
http://wcbstv.com/seenat11/local_story_204222600.html

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Support the Troops!

:crazy:

[MethuenProgressive]

2. Bush doesn't care. After all, how many of these guys vote?

FUBWB.

[depakid]

9. How many of them vote Republican?

Any who did- I'm sorry, but that's what happens- it's what always happpens.

And it's not like you couldn't have seen this coming.

[havocmom]

3. DOD looses BILLIONS and bills troops for a few dollars here, a few hundred there...

If they have the kind of record keeping that can track down who lost or broke equipment, how the hell do they loose BILLIONS? Just POOF! Disappeared. Gone.

How on earth does THAT just happen?

Answer: it doesn't. And now they are shaking down the troops who DARED to survive over there.

First it was troops having to bring their own body armor. Then lots of folks at home got pleas for food and coffee to be sent over.

Now, bills for damaged, broken, lost and gone BOOM equipment?

And DOD can't account for HOW MUCH $$$? We don't even know what the real figure is because DOD can't know for sure!. Hells bells, maybe they better put the bean counters who keep track of equipment on the case!

Napoleon was not a nice man, but at least he had the decency to have a lot of war profiteers shot.

[Robbien]

5. Same with Katrina victims

Bill the victims for nickel and dime so called abuses, while contractors walked away with billions for not doing anything.

[havocmom]

7. Yep. ANYBODY who doubts the upper (1%) class is waging war on the rest of us

just isn't paying attention, or they are suffering with Stockholm Syndrome.

[leftchick]

11. make that TRILLIONS

http://www.solari.com/learn/articles_missingmoney.htm

[havocmom]

13. Thanks for the correction. I can't keep up with how much SOMEBODY is stealing

:grr:

[soothsayer]

14. the date on that Rumm quote is actually september TENth 2001. hmmm

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Maybe they should bill George Bush I for that jet he lost?

That should bring in a cool million.

[Heidi]

4. Shameful.

Recommended.

:kick:

[SpiralHawk]

6. republicons prove it again: they hate our soldiers and veterans

I really do feel its because republicons are ashamed of Commander AWOL, the deserter in chief, and his VP clown backup Dickie 'Five Military Deferments' Cheney, and all the other republicon chickenhawk clowns: Lott, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, etc. etc. etc.

Because the republicons are ashamed that they are led by such a pitiful lot, they take it out on our sons and daughters who have served honorably. The evidence is overwhelming...

[BlueJazz]

8. WTF???? What the hell Planet are we on?? "ScrewtheTroopston?"

Christ...Military Contractors can Pad Bills, "Loose Payment Records" (Happens a LOT)
Overcharge meals, equiptment, services and these idiots are worried about a few hundred bucks that some lowly Peon happened to damage in the Line of Duty?

I need to get off this Planet..Beam me Up Scotty.

[Recursion]

10. Not to condone this, but I suspect he didn't file an MGR

I had about $2k worth of gear blasted off of me at one point when a fuel truck went up; I filed a missing gear report (*cough* which included that flak jacket I really like which wasn't damaged *cough*) and never had to pay a dime.

[Crankie Avalon]

12. Yep, just one of the wonderful benefits of privatizing the military.

"Ensign is a veteran's advocate. He says this is all part of the military’s push to be run more like a business."

:kick:

[mainegreen]

15. They'll have to dispute the loss with the three credit bureaus.

The military won't be able to prove the charges and that will be that.
Still, pretty much makes you want to take a Sherman tank and run roughshod over these bureaucratic fuckers.

[SeanQ]

16. Fucking preposterous!!!

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. Maybe someone is trying to do away with the military so that future

armies are strictly privatized?

Think about it. Service in the Army use to be a sign of patriotism. But if they make it too cost prohibitive to serve, then the number of volunteers will diminish, making it easier for Blackwater Mercenary Inc. to be the only game in town.

[City Lights]

18. Absolutely disgusting.

:-(

[Yael]

20. "Veterans Advocate"?

"It makes a terrible point about the nature of military service today," citizen soldier Tod Ensign said.

Ensign is a veteran's advocate. He says this is all part of the military’s push to be run more like a business.

Run the military like a business? Are these people flat out insane?

I wish I knew how to get in touch with this Tod Ensign person. I do this for a living (advocate against business practices). I would be happier than a pig in mud to lend him some support.

[curt_b]

21. Some Info on Tod Ensign

Yael,
Ensign has been an activist for more than 40 years. He continues to try to build a GI Resistance movement through NYC based Citizen Soldier. When I saw him speak this spring, they had just opened the Different Drummer Cafe outside of Fort Drum in Watertown, NY:

http://www.differentdrummercafe.org/

This contact info is the latest I could find:
Citizen Soldier ([e-mail]) or [phone]
or you could try contacting him through Different Drummer:
[e-mail]

Peace,
Curt

Wikpedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tod_Ensign:

Tod Ensign, an American veteran's rights lawyer, is the Director of Citizen Soldier, a non-profit GI and veterans rights advocacy group based in New York City...

Ensign co-founded Citizen Soldier in 1969 to advocate on behalf of GIs and veterans who work to oppose command-tolerated racism, sexism, homophobia and militarism. Currently, the group has 7,500 members nationwide, who provide nearly all of its financial support. As an attorney, Ensign has participated in a broad range of legal cases involving GIs and veterans over the past 35 years. Two notable cases are the Agent Orange class action, which attempted to hold chemical manufacturers liable for the injuries their herbicide caused Vietnam veterans and their offspring and the Vietnam-Era Winter Soldier Investigation and National Veterans Inquiry.

Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Citizen Soldier attorneys, including Ensign, have counseled hundreds of GIs and reservists who are seeking alternatives to serving in what many regard as an illegal war. The most celebrated case is Citizen Soldier's defense of Sgt. Camilo Mejia, 28 of Miami, Florida. Mejia was the first US combat veteran to refuse further service in Iraq. He based his refusal on his duty, under international law, not to obey military orders that violate international law. During his five months in Iraq, he witnessed command-sanctioned shooting of civilians, abuse of detainees and other violations. Mejia’s defense team has appealed the military judge’s refusal to allow any expert testimony at his court martial regarding illegal US military operations by his unit.

Since 2000, Ensign has served on the executive board of the National Gulf War Resource Center, a coalition of Gulf War advocacy groups that advocates for research and health care for veterans from both Gulf wars. (He is the only non-veteran serving on this board).

[Yael]

23. Beautiful! Thanks!!

[eridani]

25. Now it becomes clear why they are hounding him about some paperwork technicality n/t

[alfredo]

22. I passed the link onto my veterans group.

[lpbk2713]

24. Rodriguez ought to tally up how many hours he was actually *on the job*

and send the Army a bill for all the hours that he worked at a rate far below US minimum wage levels.

[porphyrian]

26. This is how they support our troops. - n/t

[napi21]

27. I've heard of this before, but I thought it was always done right after

they turned in their gear and an inventory showed something(s) missing. I sure never heard of it being done FOUR YEARS LATER!

[LWolf]

28. Support the troops?

WHAT THE FUCK?

At the very least, this should be a talking point every time some indignant patriot demands that we do so.

[BeHereNow]

29. This is HEINOUS!

Who the hell thought this little gem of FUBARness up?
EVIL, pure and simple.
COMPLETELY EVIL.
BHN

[Miss Chybil]

30. And they'll take his tax refund, if he gets one. Uncle Sam always gets his money. nt

[DeSwiss]

31. Forward the bills to Halliburton.....

...they can afford it.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

32. You used 4,424 rounds of ammo at 78 cents per round

Please remit $3,450.72

Thank you for serving your country.