Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/13/2003

Dear Sgt. Shaft, The Fleet Reserve Association strongly supports an initiative spearheaded by the Distinguished Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Rep. C.W. Young (Fla.) exempting service members injured in combat or training from paying for meals while hospitalized. The legislation (H.R. 2998) is a result of an incident in which a Marine staff sergeant wounded in Iraq was charged $210.60 for food he was served while recovering from having a portion of his foot amputated. Chairman Young and his wife Beverly, who frequently visit hospitalized troops, picked up the Marine's tab and introduced H.R. 2998 to rectify this policy. Sen. Bob Graham (Fla.) introduced similar legislation in the Senate (S. 1622). When the nation's youth go off to foreign lands to engage the enemy in battle, and suffer an injury requiring hospitalization, there should be no reimbursement required by the military treatment facility (MTF). The physical sacrifices made by the uniformed members of the Armed Forces, plus time spent confined in an unfamiliar hospital, is adequate payment for the food provided.

Respectfully,
Joe Barnes
National Executive Secretary
Fleet Reserve Association

Dear Joe,
Congressman Young and his colleagues came through like gangbusters to right this wrong to our hospitalized active duty military. I know that Beverly Young also brings the spirit of Florence Nightingale to our young heroes with her frequent visits to them at Bethesda Naval and Walter Reed Army Medical Centers. Also the Sarge was delighted to join you and other members of FRA when you presented another distinguished member of Congress Walter B. Jones (R) (N.C.) with the Association's prestigious Pinnacle Award at a special reception on Capitol Hill. FRA established the Pinnacle Award in 1996 to honor members of Congress who have championed legislative initiatives to improve the quality of life for active duty, reserve and retired Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel and their families.

Commitment to military personnel and dedication to advancing their interests in Congress is reflected in the legislative record of Representative Jones.

Recently Congressman Jones introduced and has been fighting for HR 693, the Military death Gratuity Improvement Act. In a recent message to his fellow House Members, he stated, “I have a strong opinion about many issues. But this session, I’ve been especially forthright about one thing: Congress should not leave Washington this Fall until we have passed H.R. 693.

This bill will rescind the unfair and un-American tax our military families are required to pay on the death gratuity they receive after losing a loved one in battle. It astounds me that not only do we consider the small amount of $6,000 an appropriate gratuity; we also turn right around and tax $3,000 of the check.

It is unacceptable that while our men and women in uniform are overseas giving their lives for this country we have yet to approve a bill to spare their grieving families from paying a ridiculous tax. If this House does not pass this repeal in time, more than 300 brokenhearted mothers and fathers of military personnel who have died in Iraq alone will be receiving a bill from Uncle Sam. Is giving your child for freedom not price enough?

I have written the President of the United States and I implore my friends in the House and in the Senate to come together and remove this financial obligation from the tax code. We cannot allow our men and women in uniform’s greatest sacrifice to continue to be disrespected by this unreasonable and insolent death gratuity tax.

The federally chartered FRA is celebrating its 80th Anniversary as the oldest and largest professional military association representing the concerns of Sea Service personnel. FRA operates as the premier watchdog organization for safeguarding and enhancing military pay, health care and benefits by representing the concerns of its 130,000 members before Congress and appropriate federal agencies. For more information about FRA, visit the Association's web site at www.fra.org.

Shaft Shot
A Senate-passed bill (H.R. 1307) to provide long-overdue tax equity for military homeowners, widows, and drilling Reservists is awaiting House action. Incredibly, House leaders seem to be putting a higher priority on preserving tax breaks for wealthy expatriates who give up their US citizenship than on passing relief for servicemembers fighting and dying or their country. Congress' failure to complete action on the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act (H.R. 1307) becomes more frustrating with each passing day. The House and Senate have each unanimously passed varying versions of this bill three times this year, but have yet to work out their relatively minor differences. All versions would relieve capital gains tax penalties for military homeowners assigned away from home on military orders, restore a tax-exemption for Reserve and Guard drill-related expenses paid out of  members' own pockets, and stop taxing the $6,000 death gratuity paid to survivors of members killed on active duty. The Senate-passed version of H.R. 1307 could be brought to a House vote immediately - except that House leaders object to the Senate proposal to offset the very modest revenue loss by taxing part of the assets of wealthy American expatriates who give up their U.S. citizenship.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

BAVF Home | Who We Are | Sgt. Shaft | Flag Week | Links | Financials | Search | Contact BAVF

BAVF - P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900

Copyright BAVF 2003