Military's promise was clear and oft-repeated

Since 08-03-05

From: Waspscpo@aol.com [mailto:Waspscpo@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 11:17 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Fw: Military's promise was clear and oft-repeated

Subj: From the Classact e-mail list: Letter published today (3 Aug 05) by the Biloxi, MS, Sun Herald 

Date: 8/3/2005 1:47:54 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: fsears@bellsouth.net
To: fsears@bellsouth.net
CC: bmharris@sunherald.com, milupdate@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)


The following letter to the editor is on the Internet at http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/editorial/letters/12288598.htm

Many thanks to B. Marie Harris and the Sun Herald for providing the military retiree community the means to counter information distributed by certain individuals employed by the United States Government.

Miami, FL
August 3, 2005

Posted on Wed, Aug. 03, 2005

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Military's promise was clear and oft-repeated

In his July 28 Military Update, Tom Philpott wrote, "Despite the gains, GAO still found officers and enlisted leaders in its focus groups expressing concern about eroding retirement and health care benefits. The report chides the Defense Department for failing to educate members effectively about their compensation, thus allowing "a culture of dissatisfaction and misunderstanding to perpetuate.

"I'm not taking issue with what Tom Philpott wrote, but I am taking issue with any report that says the Defense Department does not educate members of the military effectively about their compensation. From 1951 to 1971 the military educated me, and millions like me, very thoroughly concerning the lifetime medical care that would be provided at military treatment facilities if we served for 20 or more years and retired. A decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the federal circuit backs me up on this.

There never was any misunderstanding about what I was being promised. I never reenlisted without being thoroughly briefed on many issues, and one of those issues was medical care after retirement, and I was required to sign a document indicating that I understood what I had been told. Unfortunately, I do not have copies of those documents.

Members of the military are thoroughly educated, but the current members of the Department of Defense and the Congress have not been effectively educated concerning the medical care promise, thus allowing a culture of misunderstanding to perpetuate.

When I enlisted, and each time I re-enlisted, I took an oath that I would keep my promise. Unfortunately, there never was a member of the Department of Defense or the Congress there to take a similar oath that they would keep their promise.

FLOYD SEARS
Biloxi

fsears@bellsouth.net Web site: http://www.mrgrg-ms.org