Lou Dobbs began tonight's "Grange on Point" with a heart-breaking clip of a man from Alabama, a National Guardsman, an Iraq Vet, testifying before Congress today. This man was explaining how before he went to Iraq, he worked as a sheet metal worker, making about 17 bucks an hour. He is now a manager at a Burger King, making $8. He explained how fighting in Iraq has cost him his job, cost him money. But now, the government was demanding more from him.
DOBBS: Troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan harassed by the federal government and its debt collectors. At a Capitol Hill hearing today, angry troops describe a bureaucracy that can't keep track of their pay, and after leaving the service, facing endless collection notices and ruined credit ratings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEC. FRANK MANGUM, ALABAMA ARMY NATL. GUARD: Before I was deployed to Iraq with my Guard unit, I was a sheet metal mechanic in the construction industry. I was required to climb ladders all day long. My wage was between $15 and $17 an hour. I can no longer do this job. I now make $8 as a manager for the local Burger King franchise. My service in Iraq cost me my health, my money and my job. Now I'm being asked for more.
(END VIDEO CLIP
To be honest, I'm not sure what his exact problem was. It seemed to involve Pentagon errors in calculating pay and the like. (the transcript isn't up yet, and a quick search yielded no info from Congress) But you know, it really doesn't matter. In a war where it seems the only people who are asked to sacrifice are the men and women (and their families) who are actually fighting, a soldier should NEVER have to fight the Pentagon over anything.
As we democrats and liberals hash out strategy and ideas for this November, can we please consider putting one simple item right at the top of our list? We surely didn't start this war, and we surely aren't the ones who screwed it up so badly, but we sure as hell are going to be the ones who make sure our soldiers are coming home to a nation ready to meet their needs.
How complicated can it be to ensure that every soldier in our military gets the healthcare they need to heal the wounds our leaders sent them to receive? How complicated can it be to ensure that every soldier in our military gets the pay they've earned in blood and tears? How complicated can it be to ensure that every soldier in our military comes home to a job that provides a living wage? If we cannot do even those simple, small, things, then the Republic isn't worth a damn.
To the Members of the House and Senate that visit this site, can this please be our first promise? Can it be one we make and intend to keep? I'm not a vet. I don't really know anyone who is. But I never want to turn the tv on again and see a man who gave his all for his country begging Congress to call off the bill collectors the Pentagon has sent after him.