Flutterby™! : Abuse of veterans 2006-10-23 18:02:01.190424+00

Abuse of veterans

2006-10-23 18:02:01.190424+00 by andylyke 9 comments

I hate to muddy the flutterby waters with a downer, but I need to share this with the community. Putting aside opinions about our being in Iraq in the first place, I have a strong affinity with the men and women in uniform and with veterans of service (I served '67 to '70). I have met a man with an extraordinary story, who faces an absolutely outrageous (my judgment) problem. This man served for ten years, saw combat in various theaters, acknowledged and covert, was separated and honorably discharged. He has now received “orders” from services to which he has no current ties or obligations to report for 2 years' service (“Involuntary Active Duty”), most probably to support the invasion of Iran, given his mos and experience (this latter is my assessment). His orders cite an Executive Order for their authority. Speaking as a veteran, I am outraged that this man, who has completely discharged any reasonably expected “duty” to his country, would be called up when Jenna, Barbara, and all the other scions of wealth face no obligation whatever. Just one more instance of the back door draft. So – I've let off steam. I'd like to ask you, dear reader, if you know of any other such situations, to share them with me so I can take some action other than supporting, and possibly hiding, this man. andylyke@mindspring.com

I'd have to go dig up my "contract" for my original 4 years in the USAF to be sure, but I remember such things being a possibility and remember it as part of my outbriefing as being expressed as: "You'll hopefully never actually see this, cause if you do the world is coming to an end if it's that bad.."

Still, dispite the "B" movie plot scenerio, it's wrong if we aren't in that kind of "all able hands defending the country" situation. As for -hiding- this man, well.. that's illegal within the borders of this country. Getting media attention and political involvement isn't. I'll ask a former JAG tomorrow.

I've been poking around a little bit, and while I've heard of ex-active duty non-reserve folks being called back up for "Involuntary Active Duty" before, I'm having trouble finding that specific reference right now.

Do you have the Executive Order number? And perhaps a few (non-identifying) details so that us armchair lawyers can find a little more background on other cases, because it seems to me that this is something where those called up again need a higher media profile, and banding together is a way to do that.

It also occurs to me that during the Marin Century I loaned the pedal off my bike to someone who, if I can track him down again, might be able to point me in the right direction. I'll try to dig through some papers and see if I can find his contact info.

I know that when my father retired from the USAF (E9) in 1990, he faced the possibility of getting called back to active duty for the first Gulf War. But that was was pretty limited in scope.

Bush seems to be pulling out all possible stops to avoid an actual draft. If you get a chance, check out Iraq for Sale. I didn't realize how much Bush has been relying on private firms in the War on Iraq.

While some people think it's just Bush cronies' profiteering, it really appears to be a way to avoid the Draft and the enormous shift in public opinion that would come with it.

Here's a few notes on the Ready Reserve, which seems to indicate that those who've served in active duty less than eight years can get called up, and I don't see a time limit on how long after discharge that lasts.

In general response - He was enlistedand served ten years. I'm due to get a copy of his orders on Thursday and shall make them available (appropriately redacted) as soon as i get them.

I believe my father's discharge (after 29.5 years of active duty) included 4 years of "ready reserve". He had a heart attack three months after retiring and would have been excluded for medical reasons at that point.

There's also a discussion of this over at The Claire Files which has some interesting overlap.

I wasn't given anything like the warning meuon describes when I finished my six years, but I did see it in the contract. What I remember is that with an initial enlistment you're obligated for 8 years Active/IRR. That can be split up as 1/7, 2/6, 4/4, or (for those who want money for school) 6/2 or 8/0. However much time you serve as "active" (I use quotes because I was National Guard - a reservist), the remainder is your Inactive Ready Reserve obligation. I have no idea how, or if, IRR is handled for those who re-enlist, since I didn't.