Troop Bonus Payments Frozen

Interesting and from this site : www.armytimes.com...

here are the reprocussions (take from armytimes.com):

Bonus programs affected by the impasse are targeted at officers and enlisted soldiers of the active and reserve components. Specifically they are:

Bonuses and special pays for the active component
• Special pay for career aviation officers who extend their active duty service

• Re-enlistment bonuses

• Enlistment bonuses

• Retention incentives for soldiers qualified in critical military skills or assigned to high priority units

• Accession bonuses for officers in critical skills

• Reclassification bonuses to ease personnel shortages in selected specialties

• Accession bonuses for officer candidates

• Army enlistment referral bonuses

Bonuses and special pays for reserve forces
• Special pay for Selected Reserve health care professionals in critically short-handed wartime specialties

• Re-enlistment bonuses for members of the Selected Reserve.

• Bonuses for affiliation or enlistment in the Selected Reserve

• Bonus affiliation for enlistment in the Selected Reserve

• Special pay for members of the Selected Reserve who are assigned to high priority units.

• Bonuses for enlistment in elements of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve.

• Prior service enlistment bonuses

• Repayment of education loans for certain health professionals who serve in the Selected Reserve.

Health professionals on active duty
• The Nurse Corps Officer Candidate Program

• Accession bonuses for registered nurses

• Special pay for nurse anesthetists

• Accession bonuses for dental officers

• Accession bonuses for pharmacy officers

• Accession bonuses for medical officers in critically short-handed wartime specialties

• Accession bonuses for dental specialist officers in critically short-handed wartime specialties

This is such a disgusting thing to even consider. Bonuses and benefits in general are about all that military people really have to show for their service and it seems they are being stripped away. I have 2 friends leaving for Kuwait to run convoys into Baghdad; they both joined the national guard (Yes, national guard...the ones fighting an international war?!?!?) under the premise that they would get a free education and that they would set themselves up for a better future. I remember telling them both that the guard doesn't want you so they can help you be better, they need warm bodies in Iraq and wherever else they plan on going. Of course, they assured me that they were told there was a small chance of going to Iraq...

it is very sad! They volunteer their lives! You are going to take their bonus away from them! It makes me sick to my stomache. Besides protection and defense...we should give the money to those who risk thier lives!

The fact that this was posted again shows how scary and important this is......

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Heck, back in 1980 during the budget impasse, we didn't get paid on schedule, besides having any bonus's held back. They'll get their bonus's once the impasse is cleared up.

It's not the first time things like this have delayed, and won't be the last either.

There is a lot more to the story than what the news will tell you. President Bush pocket vetoed this bill because there were some shady things attached to it. It wasn't some "screw the troops" move like some people obviously think. As soon as the President and Congress can agree on something, everything (including all bonuses) will be back-paid from 1 Jan 08. Nobody is going to lose anything, it is just going to be delayed.

Furthermore, we are still getting a 3% base pay raise along with increased housing allowance. My pay jumps nearly $400USD/month as of 1 Jan so that is far from anything to complain about.