$700 Body Armor
.
Have you seen the article about the soldier who was so seriously wounded in Iraq that they had to give him a disability discharge? He had a bomb blow up and wreck his arm. The medic removed his body armor, and burned it since it was bloody and policy is to destroy it to prevent re-use.
Some supply guy in the Army asked a year later where the body armor was. The soldier told him that the medic destroyed it. The supply guy didn't believe him. Since some form wasn't filled out, the supply guy made the soldier, a Lieutenant, pay $700 for it before they would discharge him. He's not a rich guy; he had to borrow the money from friends.
Senator Robert Byrd was questioning the Army Chief of Staff last week about their budget, and he asked the General about this, since the young man comes from West Virginia, Byrd's state.
The Lieutenant is a West Point graduate; I am an Annapolis graduate. We compete strongly in sports, but I deeply respect his Honor Code as I'm sure that he deeply respects my Honor Concept. If the Lieutenant says that's what happened, I am positive that that is what happened. No if's, and's or but's.
Here's what the General had to say:
"We certainly have procedures that account for battle loss, and I just find it a highly unusual story. But we'll certainly follow up and correct it if there's any truth to it."-- Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff
Now, they have added insult ("...if there's any truth in it") to injury ($700). I can understand a little: the General graduated from the University of Wyoming (Cheney's state) the same year I graduated from Annapolis, so "honor" doesn't have the same meaning to him as to a West Point grad. Just as "party" probably has a deeper meaning to him than it does to me. But he ought to read a book.
I am going to send him and Senator Byrd a note: send me the bill for the $700, and I will gladly pay it!
Have you seen the article about the soldier who was so seriously wounded in Iraq that they had to give him a disability discharge? He had a bomb blow up and wreck his arm. The medic removed his body armor, and burned it since it was bloody and policy is to destroy it to prevent re-use.
Some supply guy in the Army asked a year later where the body armor was. The soldier told him that the medic destroyed it. The supply guy didn't believe him. Since some form wasn't filled out, the supply guy made the soldier, a Lieutenant, pay $700 for it before they would discharge him. He's not a rich guy; he had to borrow the money from friends.
Senator Robert Byrd was questioning the Army Chief of Staff last week about their budget, and he asked the General about this, since the young man comes from West Virginia, Byrd's state.
The Lieutenant is a West Point graduate; I am an Annapolis graduate. We compete strongly in sports, but I deeply respect his Honor Code as I'm sure that he deeply respects my Honor Concept. If the Lieutenant says that's what happened, I am positive that that is what happened. No if's, and's or but's.
Here's what the General had to say:
"We certainly have procedures that account for battle loss, and I just find it a highly unusual story. But we'll certainly follow up and correct it if there's any truth to it."-- Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff
Now, they have added insult ("...if there's any truth in it") to injury ($700). I can understand a little: the General graduated from the University of Wyoming (Cheney's state) the same year I graduated from Annapolis, so "honor" doesn't have the same meaning to him as to a West Point grad. Just as "party" probably has a deeper meaning to him than it does to me. But he ought to read a book.
I am going to send him and Senator Byrd a note: send me the bill for the $700, and I will gladly pay it!
posted by Greg Finnegan @ 4:59 PM
5 Comments:
At 5:53 PM,
Rev. Christopher Byars said…
it sounds that you are taking a partisan approach to it, it may have been a simple error and the handling of it sounds like it has been poor, but to insinuate that it's because of Cheney and that he is of low character that is just poor on your part. We could argue that if Clinton had not raped the military budget during the 90s and totally demoralized our military that much of the issues we have with our military preparedness that is so often brought up in the media would not exist, but that wouldn't be serving anyone now would it?
At 5:55 PM,
Greg Finnegan said…
No, the point about Cheney is obvious: he has become the symbol of the single-issue, closed-minded small thinker. Clinton of course is a far larger crook; but now that the General has surfaced as similarly small-minded, unsophisticated and rub-ic (of or pertaining to rubes), then what does that say for Wyoming - which is a great state for vacationing, by the way?
At 8:17 PM,
Greg Finnegan said…
BTW, the reference to Cheney is also meant to raise the question of whether there was influence for this "general" to get his job at the top of the Army.
At 12:38 AM,
Wally Banners said…
OMFG Thta was a incredible post!! ty I emailing the pentagon right now!! Thats just fking horrible man! TY FOR YOUR BLOG!!!!!!I am so mad at the army for that. I have always despised Bryd but this time I would fight side by side for this casue. Pleaase if you know the address of the solider plz post at my site. I will post the certified letter and Check for $700.00 that I will send him imediately. US soliders dont you worry bout it. While your there saving us here. I made a few bucks and their all yours casue we bros!!I love America its everything to me.
At 11:16 AM,
Greg Finnegan said…
UPDATE:
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; 6:11 PM
"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A former soldier injured in Iraq is getting a refund after being forced to pay for his missing body armor vest, which medics destroyed because it was soaked with his blood, officials said Wednesday."
Alright.
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