After the pain of loss in Iraq, families are dealt a second blow

[babylonsister]

http://www.sunherald.com/205/story/57308.html

After the pain of loss in Iraq, families are dealt a second blow
By DEANNA SALIE
A McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE FORUM

My husband was certain that he was going to die in Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class David J. Salie had been an American soldier for almost 17 years. He'd deployed many times, and he'd been to war before. He'd parachuted into Panama with the 82nd Airborne Division, served in the Gulf War and gone to Haiti with the 25th Infantry Division. But he'd never been so certain that he was going to die that he prepared for death.

David told me that he wouldn't be coming back. I didn't believe him. I felt that he was just under so much stress thinking of our children and me, and about the 40 soldiers in his platoon who were his responsibility.

In the month before he left for Iraq with B Company, 2nd of the 69th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division, David went over his will with a fine-toothed comb, and he checked out his Survivor's Group Life Insurance, which provides protection for military people.

snip//

My husband didn't know that dependents' compensation offsets the Survivor's Benefit Plan. If he'd known that, it would have made him very angry.



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[jody]

1. Democratic Senator Nelson and Democratic Congressman Ortiz have bills to correct the offset.

From the cited article, "There are two bills pending in Congress - S 935 in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, and HR 1927 in the House of Representatives, sponsored by Rep. Solomon Ortiz of Texas - that would eliminate the offset and help the families of our fallen. Please contact your senators and representatives and urge them to vote for these bills."

Please contact your senators and congressperson and ask them to sponsor the two bills.