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September 16, 2002

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- Plummeting Morale in the Reserves
- Hooah for Hayes
- Mickey Mouse in Afghanistan
- GTC Card Abuse Prompts Responses

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Plummeting Morale in the Reserves

Orders, Active Duty - And Lies

Paul Connors is so right on with his article on morale in the Reserve Component ("Reservists: A Year of Plummeting Morale," DefenseWatch, Sept. 11, 2002). I am assigned now to an active-duty facility. The unit saved money by putting me on shorter orders so I could not get full Basic Housing Allowance. They simply rolled over the orders when the original orders run out.

I was told I was to be here for a year, but after arriving was then told that there were no funds after Sept 31. Now that I am on my way out of here at the end of this month, they want me to go into the IMA so they can MOB me and pull the funds out of Department of the Army.

I am headed out to another mission and find the same thing - short orders to save money. I am the only person in this facility who has this problem and they know it. Complaining did no good. The S-1 said straight out they don't think I need to make that kind of money.

I was lied to about the length of the mission, and then lied about what I get from the orders, and now they want to corral me in. Of course, I am not going into the IMA program.

--Angry on Active Duty

Leaders Are Mishandling Reservists

A mighty "Hooah" for Paul Connors' article, "Reservists: A Year of Plummeting Morale," (DefenseWatch, Sept. 11, 2002). Having spent almost seven months in the Army supporting Operation Enduring Freedom from Germany, I saw just about everything he discussed. I didn't see any outright fraud, but did observe plenty of waste and some abuse.

A mobilization should have specific objectives, stated at the beginning, and shared with the unit. When those objectives are met, the unit should be demobilized. Under the current system, some faceless person pushes the "activation" button, maybe for a good reason, but also perhaps for ambition.

It's a real ugly thing when leaders up and down the chain of command wave the flag, but then drag out the deployment for their own interests. Furthermore, the current Army model for mobilization is one month to prep, at least six months on active duty, and one month at the end to demobilize - no matter If you show up in 10 days, and finish your mission in two months. Some task will be found so you can finish out the term, even if it has no relation to the original intent, or if an active-duty organization already exists and is capable of handling the mission.

As for the enlisted reservists, we're sure not here for the money: I could make more with a part-time job in the civilian market. I, and many other citizen-soldiers like me, love our country. That's why we continue to serve. But we want our participation to have value, to mean something. And until someone at the top better defines reserve force participation, there will continue to be a lot of disillusioned reservists.

--Concerned Reservist

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Hooah for Hayes

Patrick Hayes' DefenseWatch article on the year after 9/11 was great ( "One Small Reason to Celebrate," Sept. 11, 2002). Let's hope that there are enough of those "few good" young men and women left in this country. And thank God the Marines avoided the Clinton-izing in the 90s.

--Scott Dilcher, USMC (1988-94)

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Mickey Mouse in Afghanistan

I am writing in response to the news articles on Sept. 12, 2002, about military personnel in Afghanistan being ordered to shave their beards. Just when it appeared that the Pentagon had become more savvy, it orders our Special Operations Forces to shave their beards and shed their local garb.

This is the kind of rigid, conformist thinking that will undermine our war effort. I say let them grow their hair and wear whatever they want.

--Jerome Katz

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GTC Card Abuse Prompts Responses

Interim Vouchers Can Prevent Financial Squeeze

J. David Galland is mostly right about the government travel card xxx. The program could work a lot better if every unit's 1st sergeant (and other company and squad-level NCOs and officers) knew how to use the program and how to help their people.

I am an Air Force who has dealt with the program from the very beginning, both because I travel a lot and because I used to work for a C-5 wing. The key thing is that if you are near a base (and most people are), you can file interim vouchers and have them applied directly to the card. Some finance offices do not like (and sometimes will try and refuse interim vouchers, but the regulations provide for them and some quick command involvement will change their attitude.

In one case, the 1st lieutenant/GS-11 AFO did not see the virtue of interim vouchers idea when another officer and I (both majors at the time) came to discuss it with him, but after a short conversation with the wing commander he revised his position.

This is basically taking care of your people, something I learned long ago as a 2nd lieutenant.

--Bill Wells, Lt. Col. USAF

Junior Troops Suffer from GTC Card

J. David Galland's article about the financial suffering of servicemen and -women from the government travel card ("Travel-Card Program Abuses Soldiers and Families," DefenseWatch, Aug. 28, 2002) was good. I have been disgruntled about this regulation since its inception.

As a member of Special Forces, I am often TDY. I feel for the younger troops who may not be in a secure financial position as I am and are caught in a financial "Catch 22." Moreover, I do not like loaning the government interest-free money, and do not use the credit card myself. I usually use my own (which amounts to a free loan). If I use the government card I end up having to make monthly payments to protect my credit rating.

This is an unfair system. The old system, involving cash advances, is the fairest method for the soldier even though it costs the government money (too bad!).

--SOF Steve

Servicemen Used to Travel Free

In response to J. David Galland's article on the government travel card ("Travel-Card Program Abuses Soldiers and Families," DefenseWatch, Aug. 28, 2002), how the hell did we come to this? When I was in the military 40 years ago, enlisted men could travel without spending a nickel from their own pockets.

--Bill Drissel