Military Officer - June 2008 - (Page 14)

yourviews “If the government wants us to … defend this country, they should … pay adequate compensation.” —Lt. Col. Rex A. Smith, USA-Ret. Praise for Petraeus I very much enjoyed reading “Like a Rock” with Gen. David Petraeus, USA [April 2008]. General Petraeus well deserves the accolades that he has received for the improvement in the security situation in Iraq. General Petraeus, however, deserves this praise not as the primary architect of Iraqi security, but for his ability to put aside parochial interservice interests and adequately and quickly leverage the talent of his joint team. By this I mean the successes and initiatives implemented by the II Marine Expeditionary Force in Al Anbar province. I was located inside the Baghdad Beltway in 2007 when the only success (and I mean only) in Iraq was in the Marine-controlled Al Anbar province (known as Multi-National Force — West (MNF-W)). I watched as very concerned eyes turned their attention to MNF-W in hopes of replicating the rather incredible suc14 MILITARY OFFICER JUNE 2008 cesses that the Marines were achieving. The Marines, ably led by Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, Maj. Gen. John R. Allen, and Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, were implementing the rather novel concepts of decentralized operations, tribal engagement, and living the ethos of “no better friend, no worse enemy” and were leading the way in the ﬁght on Iraqi terrorism. General Petraeus deserves praise for leading this remarkable team, but he especially deserves praise for recognizing the initiative and following the lead of the Marines of MNF-W. —Col. Clark W. Metz, USMC via e-mail for my health care, and almost [nothing] since then. I cringe and want to throttle those ungrateful ofﬁcials in DoD every time they propose fee increases on our medical and pharmacy coverage. Thank heavens we have many, many members of Congress who appreciate the sacriﬁces made by military men and women every day more than ofﬁcials in DoD do. It is unbelievable that every year DoD continues its pursuit to extract every penny they can from our brave men and women of the military community to help defray the cost of our medical and retirement beneﬁts. … If the government wants us to ﬁght to defend this country, they should be willing to pay adequate compensation for that service. —Lt. Col. Rex A. Smith, USA-Ret. Ashburn, Va. After reading the articles in [Military Ofﬁcer] and talking with fellow retirees, I have come to the opinion that Congress, DoD, and others are determined to force military retirees to private health insurance programs. This kind of puts military retirees in a unique bind, as our civilian employers love us to use TRICARE or CHAMPUS. It makes me feel like this is just another erosion of beneﬁts promised those who chose to make serving our country a career. As it stands right now, I would get better service and beneﬁts under my civilian employer at less cost than I could get through TRICARE. —Lt. Richard B. Lilly, USNR-Ret. Watauga, Texas When I ﬁrst signed on to active military service in 1953, I was promised that if I completed a military career, I and my family would have free lifetime medical coverage. Now, Give Us Our Due Reading “Washington Scene” … regarding DoD proposals to increase TRICARE and pharmacy fees [April 2008] made my blood boil. A million kudos to MOAA for the enhanced beneﬁts you have obtained for active, retired, guard, and reserve members and surviving spouses over the past 20 years. … Prior to October 2001, I was paying more than $5,000 a year http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/moaa/mo0408/index.php http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/moaa/mo0408/index.php http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/moaa/mo0408/index.php http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/moaa/mo0408/index.php

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - June 2008

Military Officer - June 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire MOAA Member Services Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Scholarship Donors Cover Story: Mission to Modernize World War Web Playing to Win Fitness in Numbers Fighting Infection Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - June 2008

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