Braley Continues Fight for Iowa Guard Members’ GI Bill Benefits

One thing that Iowa’s Rep. Bruce Braley has proven during his freshman year in Congress is that he’s not afraid to take on the entrenched powers of Washington, D.C. While serving on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Braley, D-Iowa, earned the respect of the blogosphere in March, when he grilled Lurita Doan, administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), over ethics allegations involving her role in briefing managers on the Republican Party’s prospects for 2008. (see video below the fold)

In October, Braley set his sights on the Pentagon. When he found out that 600 members of the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry’s educational benefits had been shortchanged, Braley helped launch a formal congressional investigation into the matter. After returning home from 17 months of combat duty in Iraq, members of the 1-133rd were initially denied full GI Bill educational benefits because their active duty orders were written one to five days short of the 730-day GI Bill qualifying requirement.

"When the Pentagon's ineptitude leads to soldiers and their families being denied the benefits they deserve, it is Congress' role to provide oversight, accountability, and answers," Braley said in a press release. “While I'm hopeful that the cases of the members of the 1-133rd will all be resolved before classes begin next spring, the question of why the Army worded soldiers' orders just one to five days short of the 730-day requirement, when the Army clearly knows that this is the threshold for receiving Montgomery GI Bill Benefits, is still unresolved."

To help expedite claims and keep the soldiers and their families informed about the latest developments in the congressional investigation, Braley launched a website Dec. 12. “I’m also pleased to hear that over half of the 1-133rd members who were initially denied their benefits have been informed by the Army that they now qualify for full GI Bill educational benefits,” Braley said in a recent statement found on the new site. “I’m hopeful that the Pentagon will achieve their promise of getting full benefits to all of the troops affected by the error by the beginning of the spring 2008 semester in January.”

Rock Island Arsenal Furloughs: "Politics at its Worst"

Last week, Braley joined fellow Congressman Phil Hare, D-Il., to take on the White House and the Department of Defense, arguing it is unnecessary for the DoD to issue furlough notices to federal employees working at the Rock Island Arsenal.

In November, the White House and Defense Department warned that furloughs for 200,000 civilian employees could be sent before the holidays if they did not receive additional funding for the war in Iraq. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service issued a report Dec. 13, “Extending Army Operations in Advance of a Supplemental War Appropriation,” that found the DoD could continue operations on current DoD funds until March 2008.

Despite this, the Defense Department apparently intends to move forward with notifying civilian defense employees of possible furloughs as soon as this week. “Threatening Rock Island Arsenal and other Defense Department employees with ‘possible’ layoffs in the days before Christmas is politics at its worst,” Braley said. “The Congressional Research Service report has demonstrated that furloughs are unnecessary. The President’s politics of fear only serve to intensify the partisanship that is already poisoning politics. I’ll be working with Congressman Hare to do everything possible to protect Arsenal jobs from becoming a casualty of these ridiculous Washington games.”

In fact, the president has already approved billions of dollars of funding for Defense Department operations in FY 2008. Last month, President Bush signed the $459.3 billion Defense Department appropriations bill (HR 3222) into law. That bill included money for operations at the Rock Island Arsenal and represented a funding increase of $37.9 billion from FY 2007.

Bruce Braley Questions GSA Administrator Lurita Doan

Originally posted on "Iowa Independent"

Bush Administration Treats Iowa’s Guard Like Temp Workers

While the front-end costs of funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan hold steady, the Bush Administration keeps finding ways to skim costs on the back end. Using a cost-cutting technique perfected by the booming temporary-worker industry, the Bush Administration has not only exhausted the National Guard to supplement the surge in Iraq, but has also shortchanged soldiers upon their return by denying them full-time education benefits.

Referred to as the “Ironman Battalion,” over 600 members of the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, who recently returned from Iraq after a 22-month deployment, found out they don’t qualify for full-time educational benefits under provisions of the Montgomery GI Bill. To qualify, soldiers must have served 20 consecutive months on active duty, with orders reflecting a call to active duty of 730 days. Despite exceeding the 20-month requirement, many members of the 133rd are currently being denied these benefits, because the wording of their orders leave their active duty call just short of the 730-day requirement.

Soldiers who qualify for Montgomery GI Bill benefits can receive up to $894 per month to be used for educational expenses, which can be used for up to 10 years after leaving the service. Reserve soldiers who do not qualify for GI Bill benefits can receive up to $660 per month under the Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP). These benefits expire when reserve members leave the service. Members of the Minnesota National Guard 1st Brigade, 34th Infantry—whom the 133rd deployed to Iraq with—are experiencing a similar problem.

Each soldier has individual orders, and in some cases they were for 725 to 729 days of active duty - just short of the 730 days required, Lt. Col. Gregory Hapgood, public affairs officer for the Iowa National Guard told the Des Moines Register. "So they've spent the better part of two years of their lives on active duty, a great deal of that in combat, and to come up a couple days short on orders and be denied benefits just doesn't seem judicious," Hapgood said.

Iowa’s Commander-in-Chief, Gov. Chet Culver was quick to defend the 133rd and went on the offensive by sending a letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren. Culver’s letter expressed his “extreme disappointment” and requested the Army to reconsider its decision denying education benefits to members of the 133rd. “As you are aware, these soldiers were deployed longer than any other ground combat unit with a tour of 22 months foregoing time with family and employment responsibilities -- all while risking their own lives for longer than anticipated,” Culver wrote. “Beyond our respect, these soldiers deserve the benefits provided by a grateful nation for their honorable service. Anything less is simply unacceptable.”

The news also sparked the ire of members representing both sides of Iowa’s political delegation, including Reps. Tom Latham, R-4th District, and Bruce Braley, D-1st District. Both members also sent letters to Army Secretary Green this past week expressing their concerns about the denial of the 133rd’s educational benefits.

Latham said he was very concerned that the orders for some soldiers brought them within one or several days of the 730 days on active duty needed to earn full GI Bill benefits. "These soldiers have clearly earned active-duty education benefits by serving a full two years on active duty, and it would be unfair to deny them based on a technicality," Latham wrote.

Braley, aware of the bureaucracy at the federal level, also voiced concerns in his letter by honing in on expediency factors while simultaneously holding the military accountable. “I also request that you provide me with information on all of the steps that the Army and the Army Board for Correction of Military Records are taking to ensure that these cases are resolved quickly and smoothly, and that you provide me with a timeline detailing when the Army Board for Correction of Military Records will take up the cases, when a decision will be made by the Board, and when the members of the 1-133rd can expect to be granted the full Montgomery GI Bill benefits that they so deserve,” Braley wrote.

Because Guard members educational benefits expire once they leave the military, it’s imperative that the Army remedy the situation before it’s too late. Hapgood admitted to the Des Moines Register that there is no quick and easy fix to the problem. "You're talking about something that has to be fixed at the Department of the Army level," he said.

The Iowa Front: Military & Veterans’ Weekly Roundup

Veterans/Political Fronts

“Democrats Endeavor to Show Strength on Defense”: The Democratic presidential candidates have been tapping into Iowa veteran’s unease about the policies under President Bush’s administration, while a number of veterans have switched their allegiances to the Democrat Party. The GOP has traditionally garnered the vet vote, but they can no longer take this bloc of voters for granted. Ray Bagg, a Vietnam veteran from Des Moines, who considered himself to be a Republican when he first returned home from Vietnam, said the notion that advocates of a change in strategy in Iraq are weak on defense is "b.s.” "I'm getting to the point where I want to be rebellious," said Bagg, 61. "I'm just angry." (Des Moines Register)

“Clinton v. Obama, Veterans Version”: This week, the "Commission on Care of America's Wounded Warriors" issued recommendations for improving treatment for veterans who return injured from the front. Clinton's proposal would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act -- one of the first major bills of her husband's presidency -- to allow up to six months leave for eligible relatives of service members with combat-related injuries. Meanwhile, Obama passed around his own pitch, providing a full year of job protection, and, as an email from Obama's Senate office points out, "unlike FMLA, which only covers spouses, parents, and children, the Military
Family Job Protection Act covers siblings who are caring for recovering service members." (Washington Post Blog)

“Richardson Begins Airing ‘Heroes’ Ads in Iowa”: Touting his record as New Mexico's governor and commander-in-chief, Gov. Bill Richardson released his latest television ad in Iowa. The ad, "Heroes," highlights Richardson's support for veterans and how he led the national effort to raise the death benefits for the families of fallen soldiers. During campaign stops in Iowa, Richardson said he would give all veterans a "Heroes Health Card" that would allow them to receive health care wherever they need it. Currently, veterans are required to access their health benefits at designated veterans' hospitals, which creates an accessibility burden for those veterans who don't live near them. (Iowa Independent)

Military/Political Front

“Politicians Line Up Behind Friends and Families to Salute Return of Iowa’s 133rd Infantry”: Having completed the longest combat posting that any Iowa unit has served since World War II, the 640 National Guard soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry returned Wednesday to Iowa. After spending nearly two years on active duty, 17 months of which were in Iraq, the Ironman Battalion's soldiers were greeted by an estimated 8,000 people at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo. Meanwhile, Iowa's political delegation offered their gratitude by honoring the 133rd from the nation's capital. (Iowa Independent)

The Iowa Front: Military & Veterans’ Weekly Roundup

Veterans/Political Fronts

“Three-Star General Promotes Obama as Next Commander in Chief”: Sen. Barack Obama may not have been in Iowa on Wednesday, but his presence was felt during his campaign's "Commander in Chief" Tour. "Obama has not served in the military but it was clear, when I watched him bond with our soldiers stationed in Africa, that Obama loves the military," retired Air Force Gen. Scott Gration told a crowd gathered at the Solon Public Library. "Barack understands how valuable our soldiers are and the sacrifices they're making for our country. He understands that this is a force that cannot be squandered and must be used at the right time to preserve our interests. That's why Obama should be our next commander in chief." (Iowa Independent)

“Clinton Campaign Announces the Names of 316 Iowa Military Veteran Supporters”: Iowans for Hillary today announced the names of 316 Iowans who have served our nation in the armed services and are supporting Hillary Clinton. "In the Senate, Hillary fought to secure funding for veterans’ hospitals, to reduce prescription drug prices for veterans, and provide: additional support for disabled veterans,” said Sgt. Major Dean Cox USA (Ret.). “I know that she will continue to stand up for us when she is in the White House." (Clinton Press Release)

Military Front

“Books: 'Sisters' Face the Fire in Iraq”: Right now, women make up about 10 percent of the American troops serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan. In her new book, “Band of Sisters,” Drake University graduate Kirsten Homsted explores the role and experiences of women in warfare. "I really wanted to be the first to show women in combat and how that issue was unfolding on the battlefield," she said. Homsted’s book profiles few Iowa women who served in these wars. (Des Moines Register)

“Soldiers of 133rd Begin Arriving Home”: After 22 months of service the soldiers of the First Battalion, 133rd Infantry are coming home. Originally slated to return in April, the 133rd, based out of Northeast Iowa and containing soldiers from all over the state had its tour extended in January. “If you look at the entire time, it’s fairly remarkable,” said Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood of the National Guard. "I think if you look at this…one of the longest serving National Guard units on active duty in the global war on terror. These folks have really distinguished themselves.” (Press-Citizen)

Read other articles regarding the 133rd’s return: WCF Courier, The Messenger, and the Sioux City Journal.