I am a pessimistic military spouse. In my heart, I want to believe that when Americans say “support our troops” that this statement means more than buying a reservist a cheeseburger for lunch and putting a camouflaged bumper sticker on the back of their Buicks. 
I want to believe that their support for the U.S. military means that they will choose to sacrifice for those who volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces.
Their civilian sacrifice means that they demand that service members receive an annual pay increase every year. It means that Americans pay higher taxes so that a disabled veteran has free health care for the rest of his life. Supporting our military means that Americans encourage their representatives to cut other benefits (services that will directly impact their well-being) so that military families can afford to buy food at an overseas military commissary or have the option of living off-base.
But that’s not reality.
We live in a country where the leadership at the Pentagon proposed cutting benefits for the military. I thought those top ranking officials were appointed to fight for the interests of everyone in the military, from the youngest recruit to the oldest World War II veteran. Earlier this month, the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee voted unanimously to leave intact the current military health care system, the housing allowance and much of the Pentagon’s $1.4 billion in direct subsidies to the commissaries. The news shocked me. It pleased me. Then I remembered the subcommittee’s recommendations are a long way from the President’s desk. We’ll see what version of the defense budget and which reductions reach the chopping block this summer. See, I really am a pessimist. But I am a patriotic pessimist.
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What’s difficult for me is that I don’t feel like how I feel will have an affect on the outcome. It seems like too much money was spent on the war/s, now we are paying for it. It doesn’t seem fair that those who volunteered to fight are now not getting everything they thought they would, but is that the price to pay? I hope not.
We didn’t spend too much money on the wars. We spent too much money on corporate welfare and growing the government as well as entitlement programs. We have had an $800 billion bailout every year since this president took office because Congress has failed to pass a budget since 2008.
All that matters is that these men and women put on a uniform for the sake of you and I, and for America, it has nothing whatsoever to do with politics, how much money was spent on wars, and now we (WE?????) are paying for it. They paid the price to do this for us, they should be fully cared for no matter what. Their job is/was is to put on a uniform and to die for us if they are told to do so. That you think anything else matters is sad.
Public servants– like teachers, military personnel, firefighters, policemen, etc.– should never have their benefits on the chopping block. They are the backbone of a safe, free nation and, if in the private sector, could make a lot more money. Instead, they choose to give back, even though that often means a smaller paycheck and more headaches.
My husband did not join the military for the benefits. He wanted to serve his country. Although we appreciate and enjoy the benefits, we try to never take them for granted. I fear, though, that if benefits are cut, the military will lose a lot of good service members. After Congress sees the impact of the cuts, they’ll realize the mistake they’ve made and then have to figure out something to “fix” the situation… like bringing the benefits back, or even increasing them above what we have now. I understand cuts have to be made, but military benefits are not the place.
Because a promise is a promise…
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” —John F. Kennedy
The Obama administration and Congress seem bent on repeating history. They will cut the forces to the bone and leave us with a force that will not be ready to fight and defend the freedoms of this country as they have done before. As the wars wind down, they forget the promises they made to those of us who put our lives on the line and those who continue to do so. We kept our promise to defend and protect. Now it is their turn to keep their promises to us by maintaining the benefits we deserve.
It is morally wrong to cut the benefits of active duty military families and veterans while there are so many other money wasting programs they are not looking at. What about the Department of State? are they getting any cuts??
It seems like President Obama and our so called Representatives in Congress are using the Military and our promised benefits as scapegoats to save? Money in the budget. They want to make sure thar their own benefits and their personal favorite bills etc do not get touched. In reality they only care about us when we are dieing to protect their freedoms and as soon as they deem the fighting is over it is ” stab” us in the back and cut us time!
The military does what the Congress directs them to. The Congress do not get down and dirty. The military spends months and years away from their family. The Congress doesn’t.
If it wasn’t for the military we wouldn’t have a Congress.. And now they want to cut benefits..That’s plain WRONG..
I served over 26 years in the Army and did it to serve my country. I don’t think my country is serving me by taking away my benefits everytime they need to cut the budget. Please don’t take away anymore benefits.
“When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?” -George Canning
“Freedom is never free.” -Author Unknown
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” -Cynthia Ozick
#KeepYourPromise
After spending 30 years in the military and 15 years working as a contractor for the military I am very aware that there are ways to trim and cut the waste of money without cutting out the commissary totally. Before deep cuts in these types of military benefits are undertaken our government elected officials in Congress should take their own cuts in their compensation and retirement system.
How sad it is to see our government…..AGAIN…..scrambling to make up for monies spent on everything else but our treasured military benefits! If re-enlistments and new recruits drop off to nothing, then maybe they will get a clue as to why! DO NOT CUT OUR BENEFITS….EVERRRRR!!!!
To cut support to any service member is absolutely preposterous. Many people join the military to serve their country, as well as for the benefits they offer as any large employer will do. With that being said, we are a multigenerational military family, and while we do not take anything for granted, there are certain benefits that must be protected. For example, education, pensions, healthcare, and long term care for our veterans and their families. In other words the government needs to keep their promises!
Every fiscal cycle we hear of base closings, more and more jobs previously performed by military members being farmed out to civilian companies, cuts to healthcare, cuts to widow/widower benefits, commisaries closing, and the list goes on.
These people sacrifice their lives to serve, and the least we can do is to support them. It makes me sick to see what is happening on our bases, and hospitals. This is horrific. I believe that big pay checks to bureaucrats should be the first on the chopping block.
My husband was in the military for 20 years.
The wives also serve – even though we stay at home, take care of the family and wait. The cuts being proposed will not make our military stronger, rather the opposite will happen. Why should the men of our nation put “everything” on the line to protect their country, homes and families when the powers that be are cutting the ground out from under them.
When this happens – fingers will be pointed at the powers that be, and they will be right.
If this country wants the support that it deserves, then the people in D.C. need to step up to the plate and protect those who protect our country.
They’ve given enough…don’t take more!
VOTE
I wish Congress & DOD would wake up to the fact of more savings by cutting high paying civilian positions in the bloated government workforce rather than closing the library and the swimming pool on military bases.
In order to have a strong America you need to have a strong military…when you start nibbling away on promised benefits it is no longer a kept promise. this will weaken our military strength as a nation..
When our military loses trust in our government there will not be a military in the future…the end of
the volunteer force will be at hand..
My husband is a retired Marine. I feel it is a disjustice to cut financially any benefits that the military was promised as they served our country. The United States must keep their word to the retired military as they have repeatedly risked their lives so that other’s can live as free people.
Congress should support military benefits because they have been promised to military members, in part, to make up for lower wages. Our soldiers, sailors and airmen make a lot of sacrifices on behalf of our country and deserve to have our country’s promises to them kept.
After having served for 20 years, I have seen the ups and downs of how our government goes through the motions of “supporting our military”. It seems that they are quick to throw out money (this is all parties) to appease their friends but have no fore sight in their duty to protect our nation. Whether by statute or verbal promises, they have promised certain things to our military and need to keep the promises. I can only say that Congress should look in the mirror and do some things to control the costs they create. If the military has to serve 20 plus years for retirement, then they should. They can pay into a 401 and have plenty for retirement. They can join the Affordable Care Act medical program and do away with free medical. Or better yet, put them in cammies, give them a weapon and make them serve at least 90 days to see what it is like. They can even do it in all the “breaks” they take.
Honor your commitments. It is the very least you can do for those that give, and have given, everything for this country.
Congress should support military benefits because the military is all that stands between America and those who want to conquer and destroy us, liberty and our way of life. These men and women have to go where they are told to, live where they are told to, be away from their homes and families at the military’s whim, risk relationships, risk their lives and their bodies, with no way out if they want it. Congress gets better benefits with little to no risk, can live where they want, go where they want, fly home for family, and can resign if they decide they want out. They also get lots of benefits and extras paid for by the taxpayer, even when they are convicted and go to jail. (Jesse Jackson, Jr, is getting partial Congressional pension?? WHY?? And something like $8700 a month in disability for the mental issues he only developed when his crimes were discovered.!)
Congress should support the military because it is one of the few legitimate uses of tax dollars because the military is a constitutional duty. Flying our vacation-loving occupant of the Oval Office here there and everywhere is not and should not be funded by our tax dollars, especially when cuts are needed.
My name is Brett Rhen, SSG US Army (retired)
I and many of my friends are or have served honorably in the Armed Forces. We have earned a commissary benefit. The largest benefit is that the commissary has a price control that is non-existent in the civilian sector. Any reduction or elimination in tax payer subsidy would effectively “kill the Commissary”. This benefit is not some casualty to be eliminated for budget cuts. I live in Newport News VA which is very close to the largest collection of current and former military persons in the U.S. The average increase in the grocery bill in the civilian sector has shot up in just the two years my family and I have lived here as retirees. We depend greatly on the commissary (EG a gallon of milk in off post stores has increased to almost 4.00 since 2012). Please reconsider any commissary reductions.
We should have benefits because they’re EARNED. A condition of employment, a commitment that says when we sign on our families will be cared for.
In the military, we’re asked for a lot that causes wear and tear on our families. Moving, deployments, among a host of other things makes military benefits not just a nicety but a necessity. Our families are left with a lot to do on their own when the active duty sponsor is gone. It’s nice to know that in some ways, the time away is a bit easier to deal with because if our benefits.
Cutting military benefits and pay means the best and brightest ends up in the private sector in order to have a decent lifestyle. Who would you rather have protecting your country? People not associated with the military do not understand that service members do not get overtime for working pay long hours. Being a military family is expensive since you are constantly on the move. Save our benefits and let them know you support them in a way that really matters.
The military supports everyone, to the extent of supreme sacrifice….the least you can do is not cut benefits or pay or retirement.
Why do the President and members of Congress always state that they will “support the members of the military” for fighting for the freedoms that we as Americans enjoy, yet are always trying to take away the benefits that the soldiers were promised? America should not try to balance the budget on the backs of the military members that risked their life’s to give us the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. I never hear any talk about cutting the salaries or benefits of the members of Congress or the President. Inform your members of Congress to support maintains or
increasing the pay and benefits of military members. After all, members of Congress wouldn’t be in their current positions of prosperity if it weren’t for the achievements of the Military.
I am tired of Congress trying to balance the budget on the back of active and retired members. I am tired of senior military wanting to cut benefits at the expense of us. We worked for these benefits and are entitld to them. This is something that we considered when making the military a career. I wanted to provide for my family and to be able to live after I retired. Now senior military leadership and congress are trying to take be benefits away. I will vote against anyone who tries to cut our benefits. Hopefully after we get a new President some senior military members will be appointed to standup for us.
The Military members and Veterans should not get their benefits cut in any way whether it is medical or commissary rights. All these benefits were promised to them while in the military, they should not have to live in constant fear of losing them. Of all Americans our Military and Veterans should be treated with more respect and not as a tool to find more money for more wasteful government spending.
I am a Vietnam Veteran and I have been retired for 22 years now. So much has changed with the military and our government officials leading. Benefits have changed and now we have contracting where our troops supported their own. Military Commissaries provide a vital link for military families and retirees. Keep your promises!!!
Why should Congress support military benefits?
Although my husband did not join the military for the benefits (back then he was just a young man with no real idea of where he was headed) He joined initially to support freedom, to defend our nation, to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, and to provide for his family as a young husband and father. He didn’t continue to serve his country for the benefits… at first it was stability, then it was the cost of health care, then there was a war and he had soldiers to take care of… he never thought about the benefits he has or the benefits that congress wants to take away. Those parts are for me to worry about. His job as a soldier and a leader is so busy and demanding that he doesn’t have time to see what congress is trying to sneak in behind him. After 21 years of service he is still going strong and will continue to do so for as long as Uncle Same will let him. My only hope is that congressional leaders will allow our family to find comfort in commissary savings, stable and reliable healthcare, and a reasonable retirement (the one he was getting when he signed up for this job). After all they have found comfort in my husband’s duty to our nation for over 20 years (and still counting). I know that the recent pay raise was more than just an insult to his loyal service to this nation. It took one president a decade to try to close the gap between civilian and military pay and I can see that gap widening again before you know it.. I don’t think those are unreasonable expectations when it comes to benefits.
I am so DISAPPOINTED with the commissary at Beal AFB, CA I understand they need to be self supporting but prices are NOT that much cheaper than Walmart, Winco, Food Fo Less & other stores with the sales! The times I do shop at the commissary I am diligent with my coupon & specials & usually have over $15-$30 in coupons but with the 5% surcharge it usually cost $15 then I have to pay the baggers! So what money I do save goes to that!
The military should not have any of their benefits cut. It was promised that they would have it the rest of their lives. The men and women in the military sacrifice their lives for the United States, plus being away from their families. A lot of military members don’t even get enough money to support them and Congress wants more. Are you crazy?. Congress needs to give up some of the free perks they get so the military doesn’t have any benefits taken away from them
If it wasn’t for the Commissary, BX’s, Military health clinics the lower ranking servicemen and women would not be able to make ends meet. It’s amazing how many of these young families are using food stamps and other federal assistant because of the pay they receive.
As Retired Military we are also thankful for the benefits we receive. The benefit of health insurance and medicine means the different if we have food on the table or our medicine.
We use the Commissary and the BX weekly.
All gave some and some gave. all. Let’s honor them by keeping our promises.
My husband served in the military for over twenty years, three tours in Korea and two in Vietnam. Never did he complain. He felt that remaining on active duty was his choice. Not only that, but he was also aware that his family also served. I feel that if sacrifices are to be made it should be at other levels. BEGIN with CONGRESS .
Congress should support military benefits because so many have served this country, They have bleed and died for us and our families. Not because they were forced to but for the love of their country.
The men and women that join the US military are brave and patriotic Americans that make sacrifices so most other Americans don’t have to. We do not have a conscription or mandatory service and therefore grateful to those that volunteer to be put in harms way. Let’s not forget that these men and women have also have families at home that are part of this sacrifice. Spouses and children that continue to do go on while their significant other is deployed on a ship or living in a tent in the desert. These families need the support of the the U.S.A as well. How can a military member concentrate on their important tasks if they are worried that the family back home can’t shop at the commissary or their children won’t have school supplies or clothes. These brave and ppatriotic Americans that are willing to work long hours for little pay and daily have their lives at risk need the support of their families and their elected representatives. They have picked up the gun and put themselves in the cross hairs, so the majority of us don’t have to. Support our heroes and support the families that keep our heroes alive.
You are only as good as your promise. If you cannot keep your promise then you cannot be trusted. It is as simple as that. The USG has broken their words to retirees.
We need to show our commitment to all who have served. It is simply a matter of trust.
Keep your promise to the military personnel – they deserve the support of all U. S. Citizens. We would not have the freedoms this nation has without the sacrifices made by them. Congress, you want to cut spending? Then
stop the freebees to illegals and those who can but refuse to put their hands to labor for what they. Also, why
does the government keep borrowing money to operate and then “giving” it other nations – to obtain their so
called support? Our government is supposed to be “for the people”, “by the people” – not other nations. Also,
all members of congress should be subject to the laws they pass for “the people”. Stop exempting yourselves
and other select groups. Immediately stop all retirement payments to congressmen who did not serve in such
positions for 20 years or more – as required for all other Americans generally do before being eligible for retirement.
Mr. Benson said it all. I agree with him. Now if only congress would listen
Over our nation’s extraordinary history, many brave Americans have given the last true measure of devotion in service to our contry. These heroes died to defend the freedoms we hold dear and to pretct the principles and values that we all chrerish. As people have heard said many times, freedom is not free, and it comes at not only an astonishing cost, but it causes enormous heartache for those loved ones left behind.
Please never forget the men and women (military and civilian) who serve our nation. It is impossible to repay the debt we owe these brave patriots, but we can do so by honoring their memory and the comittments and promises made to them and their families. Today where ever these brave men and women are located be it foreign soil, a ship or a base near home, at any moment they can become a warfighter serving in harm’s way. How shall we carry forward their legacy and sacrifice?
This country can not expect a quality volunteer military Force when they do not keep their promises to that Force. How can you respect this country’s leadership when they do not keep their promises??
There’s a huge difference between the Military and other public servants: when they’ve had a bad day, get sick of the routine, of experience a tramatic event where people have died (or even their partners)… they can QUIT. The military CAN’T and WON’T.
June 20th, 1990, there was a fire onboard the USS MIdway. There were a couple of explosions. The first explosion killed 2 of my friends instantly, and a third died in the hospital later. The second explosion threw me against the wall and I was unconsious, my best friend pulled me out of the hole to safety. Did we quit? NO! Did we run away? NO! We got back up on deck, put on new gear and joined our fellow sailors and fought the fire to save our ship. The next day after we pulled into port (and everything was out), I was part of the detail responsible to bring our friend’s bodies out. To this day, the smells, sights, sounds still are fresh in my mind, but unilke civilians, we DIDN’T QUIT, and we COULDN’T QUIT even if we wanted to. I personally served for another 22 years.
There are thousands of military who have experienced things far worse than I have in order to serve their country, and I feel it’s a great travesty for their government (who put them into harm’s way in the firstplace) to stop serving them.
If they think it’s so easy, then they need to put on the uniform, and…
– pick up a rifle and take a walk in Afghanistan
– put on a float-coat and launch jets from a flight deck in the Persian Gulf where it’s over 110 degrees by 8AM, or in the northern Atlantic when it’s below 20 degrees,
– tie themselves to an 85 footer that’s trying to save the crew of a capsized vessle in the middle of the night during rough seas
– be dropped from a helicopter by a cable to pull a stranded hiker off the side of a mountain…
WE’RE THERE FOR THEM (and everyone), THEY NEED TO BE THERE FOR US!
I don’t understand how can they keep cutting benefits and keeping us right above the poverty line line. But of course, when they need help, who do they call and need first?
Military service requires a willingness to give up our life in the defense of others. No other occupation requires such a contract. or commitment. We offer to do that when called upon by our leaders and we do it willingly. No other group of individuals deserves support of the government more than the veteran. Our government has lost sight of our sacrifice if willijng to cut our benefits. They have no trouble putting us in harms way. Who would they call upon if we were unwilling?
I cannot understand WHY this country wants to continually cuts the benefits and pay of our service members. Do they think that just because the military personnel are prohibited from making comments that are derogatory to the government/administration, that they have no feelings in the matter at all?? My husband also joined to serve, not for the pay and benefits. But no one in the civilian world HAS to move for a job; they have a choice. The military has no choice, whether they stay or go. And in reality, neither do their families. The government wants to cut and cut, and now even the “leaders” are in on it. Why is there no talk about cutting welfare programs? There are jobs; the problem is that people have become my reliant on someone else taking care of them. i can say this because our son is one of those people who refuses to support himself because someone else will step in and do it. During the Depression, people were doing what they needed to to STAY OFF Welfare, now our government encourages it. As a military wife of a Soldier who has more than 20 years’ in the Army, I am adamantly opposed to any more cuts for our SMs, Veterans. or their families. They’ve borne the burden long enough. Let someone else do without; particularly our “fearless” leaders who supposedly have “got out 6.” What a load of garbage and definitely nothing but lip service!
It seems like every time cuts are to be made in the federal budget, the military is always on the chopping block! I for one am out raged. We have an all volunteer arm forces and they were promised retirement benefits, healthcare and other benefits when they enlisted , but after they commit to their country, and serve, their country wants to go back on what was promised to,them I,remember when the military was promised free healthcare for life, which is no longer true.
Tricare cost and it continues to rise! The congress and this president wants to decrease the cost of
Living increases for retirement pay and now they are talking about cutting commissaries and exchanges where the military shops When will it end! A person serving their country through the military cannot draw retirement pay until they serve 20 years, but senators and congressmen who serve only one 4 or 6 year term get free healthcare and a retirement for the rest of their life! How can they expect to have an all volunteer military when benefits are slowly being taken from them! Our government has completely turned their back on the men and women and their families who sacrifice everyday to keep this country free.
For the most part I support the proposed DOD budget. I support it in the essence that across the board cuts need to happen because I feel it is in the best interest of our country.
I am not opposed to a copay for a Dr visit and things like the commissary are not as valuable in a monetary sense as people claim. And it is shameful that instead of exposing the beauracracy that happens with the manipulation of numbers in Washington, our advocates are using those same trumped up numbers to fight for what we deserve and earn.
I have very little faith in the MCRMC to hear enough diverse opinions to make a sound decision from our families.
I would also have very little faith in a direct DOD survey regarding what matters to us.
And I have a hard time trusting the #KeepYourPromise Alliance to be thinking #BeyondTheInstallationGates to represent not only my family as an E5 family of four, but as a regular American.
It leaves me asking still what I wondered when this #BudgetBattle began, “who can I entrust my military family and friends with”?
“A PROMISE BROKEN, IS A TRUST BETRAYED” Next time Congress wants to protect our Nation they should put on a condom on Their Own Confidence and leave the military to do the body counting. 30 years of my life in service without anything but my own belief in Corps and Country to make that Service Meaningful in the days when all we got for our service were complaints, burning flags, disloyalty, lies, and false promises.
I served under the premise that I would be taken care of after serving faithfully my time and now the government wants to take away several promises. What is that teaching our young children about what is said is actually a lie and no matter what is promised you will not get !!!!! What is loyalty then? Yes, I did fight for freedom and this country but was promised something in return when I signed on the dotted line. And it should be upheld on the governments end since I held my end of the bargain!!!!!!!!
There are so many reasons to keep the promises to the troops and not cut their benefits, pay and healthcare. First let’s look at it morally. Regardless of your faith or lack of, I think we can all agree that it is just plain wrong to go back on a promise. These men and women are the 1 percent who have been fighting 2 wars for over 10 years now. Their families have been separated and have had to bear the brunt of the wars. Is it right to support 2 wars and not keep their promise to these men and women who risked their lives,limbs, and sacrificed for our country? It is not their fault we are broke from the wars. They did their part by fighting the wars,. It is Congress who was suppose to budget for the wars. Now we are stuck with a huge amounnt of debt that some people in Congress want to dump on the very same people who went to war. This is wrong on so many levels! Finally the practicality of cutting benefits should be examined. In the D.C. area I save 40-50 dollars a week just by shopping at the commisarry instead of the local grocery store. That’s over 2k of annual savings which I need considering D.C. has such a high cost of living. Cutting retirmenet should also be off the table. Military tends to pay less in salary compared to their private sector counterparts. The benefit of the military is that although the base pay is lower, the healthcare is practicaly free for active duty and very reasonably priced for retirees. Also, the pension is another benefit that should be hands off. The military unlike many other companies does not match on Thrifty Savings Plan, so a guaranteed pension is the earned benefit of sticking it through until retirement. Yes, many companies have done away with pensions but 2 things to consider many of those companies do not go to war, and also many of them have stock options and/ or a matching 401k, neither of which the military has. I know we have hard budgeting choices to make in the very near future. I just hope Congress respects the military enough to keep their hands out of our pay, benefits, and healthcare.
We give so much already. The majority of good leaders could leave and find a better job and they just might if benefits keep getting cut. No one is getting rich on what we make. The benefits help.
I’m an Air Force retiree with 26 years active and 7 years DOD employee. Almost all of my life has been dedicated to the military. Through out history the government has picked on us because we are an easy target. What about the people who do not work and get free food stamps and welfare etc? I’ve ALWAYS worked for what I’ve gotten and never taken a hand out. We deserve the benifits we worked for and died for. It’s easy for people who’ve never served in the military to not know what we’ve gone through and the losses we’ve suffered. Time to quit picking on the military.
This topic I always stay away from because I get so heated. First off the government is who created a military, not just a simple military but one of the best and looked up to military. Once you create something so great why try to demolish it? What is the military for? The military is to protect your families in the US from terrorist, to make sure we get to live the way we want another day. To show how much we will sacrifice for our country. Sadly we get the worst end, instead of support we get poor healthcare, don’t receive retirement benefits, they want to take commissaries, lower the amount of soldiers, etc. Yet, every soldier risks their lives each and every day! There should never, NEVER be budget cuts on the military. “Are you trying to create enemies within the US?”, is what I always think. Y’all deserve every penny that Obama has wasted on vacations, but yet he wants to do budget cuts on y’all. We need a president with a military background, period. The fact that someone would be so ignorant to turn their back on the only people protecting them just baffles me to the core. No one stands up for us anymore because now days it’s everyone for themselves now, not trying to help others in need. But yet everyone stands up for all these other rights. One day the military will have enough and take back what is rightfully theirs and I hope I’m alive to see that accomplishment! To everyone who has served or plan on serving this is me standing up for y’all! God bless y’all! I love y’all!
I learned years ago that “families also serve” and “supporting military spouses” was nothing more than PR bs. I was pregnant with a deployed husband and I couldn’t even get someone from his squadron to mow my lawn. If I couldn’t get support at the local level, why would I expect anything more from Washington?
Are the proposed benefit cuts, the management of the force reduction, the actions of the VA et all shameful and offensive? Yes. Is it surprising? No.
So we’ll do now what I did then: Figure it out. Because when it comes down to it, the only one you can really rely on is yourself.
It saddens me that I even need to defend military benefits. While my husband did not join the military for it’s benefits, we have gratefully utilized these benefits and believe discontinuing these benefits will greatly cause distress to all military families. Commissaries provide a great benefit not only to active duty military families, but also to those who retired from active duty. The commissary has enabled my family to save greatly on food for our family. In comparison, shopping at the local grocery store for the same items would cost my family on average $50 or more per trip. Military members have worked hard to earn this benefit and taking it away would be more than a slap in the face. There are other areas that can be cut, but military benefits is not the place to cut it.
20 years in the air force and every year we have to worry what will the government take away next. this is a strain on families and on the soldiers. now having a son in the army reserve I wonder what will be in store for him in the future. the commissary is a blessing for the retired family and for the young soldier as well. I see both sides of this and I am hoping our people in government will not solve their debt on the backs of the new and the retired soldiers.
My husband did not spend 26 years of “Our” life to be treated like a piece of trash that you can just “Dispose” of. He sacrificed many, many occasions (IE: Holidays, Anniversaries, Birthdays) all in the name of protecting America’s freedom. Why is it when Congress makes cuts, they always want to cut our benefits. This is bull, let’s cut Congress!!!
Congratulations, Edna from Ellsworth AFB, SD! Edna is the recipient of the $50 Commissary Gift Card awarded to her for her participation in this discussion.
Thank you all for your valuable input. Military Shoppers sincerely appreciates your feedback on this most important issue.