Military Cuts Hurt Individuals and Families

Thomas was on the fast track. He was in the Air Force assigned to the security police force (SP) at Minot Air Force Base N.D. Thomas had worked hard to keep his nose clean, he wanted to become a dog handler and since he had little to do in North Dakota he commonly volunteered to clean the dog kennels on his off-duty time.  Thomas was from southern California and being in North Dakota was quite a culture shock for him. He was up for a promotion when he went on leave. He had to escape the obscureness of Minot so he went home to SoCal where the weather was worm. While in SoCal he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was shot in the leg outside a nightclub. When he returned to Minot he received the needed physical medical assistance for his gunshot wound. The problem was he received no help for his mental state after the shooting. After the incident in California he had fallen out of favor with his command. They started treating him differently. When the drawdowns happened under President HW Bush he was forced out because the SP manning was at 110%. He was denied re-enlistment and separated from the military. He moved home to Southern California to be with his family. This is just one of many cases of past drawdowns. He was a good troop, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for that.

Some in congress are proposing the shrinking of our military, again they are doing it on the back of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines both active and retired. This can be nothing but a blow to the economy by raising the unemployment rate. There is no doubt the military budget could be cut.  I don’t believe cutting personnel and benefits is the answer. Cutting some of the expensive defense projects like the F-35 that is 167 Billion Dollars over budget with a cost of 160 Million per aircraft will put a dent into the cuts. Another possible cut could be the Aircraft Carrier battle group fleet. Does the United States need 11 Aircraft carriers? Russia, and China have 1 each. Some lawmakers are pressing to build tanks the Army does not want or need because they create jobs in their districts. Congress allotted 500 million dollars for this pet project.

Closing bases sounds good in theory, it is troubling for those communities that will lose the bases. We should look at George and Norton AFB’s and see what that did to San Bernardino County. This is the same kind of action President George HW Bush put into play after the first Gulf War. The military was cut so heavily in personnel that when 9/11 hit there were fewer personnel to deal with the aftermath. We had to lower our recruitment standards to get people into the military, by getting wavers for people with drug and other convictions. Lowering the standards caused a host of other problems for the military down the road.

Our military personnel went to war without sufficient body armor and personal gear, but they had plenty of tanks and heavy equipment. President George W Bush even cut combat pay for a while to personnel in theatre being shot at. Families were having to buy body armor and sending it to their loved ones, but hey we have 11 aircraft carrier groups. Not very helpful to someone being shot at on the ground. There are military personnel that have more than 7 tours into a war zone. There are other places the Pentagon can cut, doing it on the backs of the troops is not right.

Giving smaller pay raises, decreasing the tax-free housing allowances, retirement pay and benefits for the troops is a problem for many of us. Where are those in Washington giving, what are they doing to help the situation. As a retiree, I have no real problem paying a higher co-pay if it is within reason. Tell me what a little more is when you talk about co-pays and deductibles? I see no numbers. The people in Washington sent our troops into two wars, now after they are done with them it is time to cut personnel, cost of living raises and benefits. To many the military is all they know, it is their life and their culture. It feels like the military is saying we are done with you, good bye. After our military members and families have sacrificed so much to the war effort they want to decrease what was promised to them when the enlisted.

Congress does not state how the personnel cuts will be completed, if it needs to be done OK, do it through attrition, not kicking people out who have served their country proudly like in the past. Don’t cut the budget on the backs of those that fought in our name for your freedom. I understand the military needs to keep us safe, but we do not need all this equipment, it ends up with our allies or enemies as it is in the case of ISIS in Iraq. Spend the money on the people that made us the most powerful nation in the world. People are the military’s greatest resource, don’t kick them to the curb once you have used them up, that’s what it feels like to so many of us.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at bo@afterdutyvets.com or visit our website at afterdutyvets.com.