We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:50:17 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification I shamelessly lifted whole cloth from Cassandra's post over at Milblogs - (Mrs.G get those permalinks fixed!) because well, like Cassandra sez, facts are stubborn things, easy as they are to ignore. I said in my initial, on-the-way-to-the-airport-very-shallow-post that the problem was likely more complex than the initial report indicated - and that the issue likely stemmed from regulatory guidance. Now, there are generally two places that kind of guidance comes from. Internal to DoD and external. Externally, it tends to come from... Congress (though the Courts can have their say now and again, but not that often). Hence why... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html Tue, 09 Oct 2007 05:09:03 -0600 Their orders were cut a day short of benefits... Except they weren't. Some of them had orders cut one day short. Others were 12 days. And then there were all sorts of permutations. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65457 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65457 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:58:42 -0600 Can't say i get it. Army humor, Trias -- as in, said Jarhead interpreting it to mean "Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse..." [Isn't sad we have to coach the young'uns like this? -the Armorer]]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65427 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65427 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:33:47 -0600 Can't say i get it. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65415 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65415 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:03:20 -0600 Good look at the complexities with different systems and entitlements. The bottomline truth to this whole issue may be how to offer a fair and equitable benefit such as education dollars for soldiers that serve time in a combat theater (as well as other benefits) - it is to easy to allow a reg/policy or detail foible to save a few bucks losing sight of the sacrifice that the soldier commits. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65387 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65387 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:33:52 -0600 Sounds to me like Cass is married to a full-timer. OH YEAH! SHE IS! I'm sorry, but this policy is just CRAP. Pure and simple, CRAP. Their orders were cut a day short of benefits, just like it's "always" been done. It's stupid, and diminishes the TWO FRIKKIN' YEARS these NG members gave on active duty. It's embarrasing, quite frankly. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65381 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65381 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:47:34 -0600 ***"How do you keep a Jarhead in the shower for a week?" Answer: "Hand him a bottle of shampoo that says...." Lather. Rinse. Repeat*** http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65376 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65376 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:50:02 -0600 The problem from what I gather is that rules are usually made by people that don't practice the rule implementation. ie government And what's with the cut off joke? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65375 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65375 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:50:27 -0600 The problem from what I gather is that rules are usually made by people that don't practice the rule implementation. ie government And what's with the cut off joke? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65374 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65374 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:49:25 -0600 No, I am not surprised. It is the same problem with health care. I am writing something on that. At the bottom of the problem is legislation that, while supposed to be a cost savings to the public, actually mitigates that cost savings because they pay it somewhere else. In this case, they end up paying it in recruiting costs and bonuses to keep people in. They don't see the effects of this because the costs are in another column and no one can seem to put the two together. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65371 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65371 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:24:02 -0600 Is anyone surprised that at the bottom of the problem we have policy mandated by Federal Law. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65367 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65367 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:22:11 -0600 The American Legion has been lobying Congress for some time to overhaul the schooling benefits as they pertain to Guard and Reserve Soldiers. Our objective is legislation that would allow them to cary over benefits for use AFTER leaving the Guard or Reserve, rather than have to remain a member to take advantage of benefits earned while activated. The largest opposition to this change comes from within the leadership of the Guard and Reserve itself. Quite honestly, they view this as a "retention incentive" rather than earned benefits. Would someone watch "days" that would make them eligible to ETS and use the Montgomery GI Bill rather than have to have to stay......? Probably no more than they would hold a C-141 containing the entire compliment of C Co 158 AH Bn on the active runway at Anchorage Alaska for over two hours, not allowing it to begin a takeoff roll until just past midnight on 31 Jan/1 Feb 1969 enroute to VN.......thus saving the American Taxpayer a month's combat pay for the entire unit. It happens http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65364 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/facts_are_stubb.html#comment-65364 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:47:17 -0600