TRICARE Fee Increases

I have been following the stories regarding DoD and the Pentagon’s plan to raise our TRICARE fees. I totally agree with MOAA that we who are retired military and future military retirees, as well as our spouses and children, have already paid our dues a thousand times plus. What happened to the promise of free medical care for life?

Now that we do have TRICARE For Life, it will cost us dearly if the DoD and Pentagon plan is approved. If our medical care is supposed to be free, why then are we paying TRICARE premiums every year? I totally agree with MOAA that DoD and the Pentagon both need to clean up their financial houses before imposing health care fee hikes on those of us who have already paid our dues through our sacrifice in defense of our country.

DoD’s and the Pentagon’s proposed health care hikes are definitely going to hurt retention and the recruiting effort. Bottom line: You don’t send troops off to harm’s way and then punish them when they retire by imposing high health care costs. ... [That’s] not a good recruiting tool. Having a strong military requires good, solid benefits for our military personnel, our spouses, and our children as well. It is only common sense.

Capt. Ed Lopez, USMC-Ret.
Fountain, Colo.

From your informative article [“Premiums Already Paid — In Full,” May 2006] it would appear my retiree health care is “impinging” on DoD’s perennial search for the newest, most expensive weapons it can find — as, for example, the F-22 Raptor, which for some quarter-billion dollars apiece can fly Mach 2 at 40,000 feet. Too bad these impressive statistics are near-totally irrelevant in a global war in which America’s enemies stand about 6 feet tall and move in sandals at 4 mph. Did I mention the military procurement scandal of our times, the problem-plagued and deadly (to U.S. Marines at least) V-22 Osprey, whose costs are spiraling over $100 million apiece?

I could swear I’ve seen this movie somewhere in the past, when … our military wanted to buy every weapon but the ones it needed most to fight the only war on its hands. As I recall, we lost that war.

Col. Michael Haas, USAF-Ret.
Reno, Nev.

MOAA On-Target

Kudos to MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., on his letter from the president, “AVF at Risk” [May 2006]. I thought it extremely well-said. That letter, coupled with the article “Hikes on Hold” [in “Washington Scene”] and others in the May edition, reinforced my perception that the leadership of MOAA is well-intentioned and on-target.

Col. John Strange, USA-Ret.
via e-mail

20-Year Retirement?

[In “No More 20-Year Retirements” in “Washington Scene,” May 2006, the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation (DACMC) seeks] a means to rebuild the retirement of service personnel. I would like to ask, “How many of the politicians are making this decision?” As you pointed out, they tried this in 1986 and had to repeal it in 1999 due to hurting retention. I also would like to see the many members of Congress have their retirement and medical benefits pulled into line before they start working on the military, the honest people who put their lives on the line. ….

I retired at 22 years’ service as a field grade officer, and I feel I earned my status due to the service between 1947 and 1969. I have a son who wants [to attend] the U.S. Air Force Academy at this time, but I am not sure I would encourage him under these conditions.

Maj. Raymond D. Roberts, USAF-Ret.
Denton, Texas

Discontinuing the 20-year retirement and concurrently raising high-year tenure levels beyond 30 years is a very shortsighted and ill-thought-out policy recommendation change by the DACMC. Our superb military is built on a base of youth, flexibility, fairness, and vitality, and allowing the force multitiered retirement options will have several negative consequences, including: current officers and NCOs will face severe management and retention problems as newly recruited members become fully aware that they are being rewarded much differently; opportunities will not open up for younger active duty [members], as some senior people stay in and take up relatively expensive slots; and as older personnel stay on, there will be a trend toward people not moving around as much, i.e., the force will start to stagnate.

Cmdr. Doug Gangler, USN-Ret.
State College, Pa.

VA Security Lapse

Why would someone need to take home a laptop with VA private information on it? … I hope the employee is fired and imprisoned for this crime. … I hope the FBI and other homeland security forces are on top of this like flies on manure. … How much would a company sell a list of customers’ data for? How many lives will be affected by this? MOAA better stay on top of these people until this laptop is recovered. Let the federal crime agencies prove that they have the capability to do CSI work like we see on TV. ...

What are we expecting is going to become of this? Sweep it under the rug? Get the laptop back? Expect the thieves to cash in somehow? What is MOAA’s stand on this? Is MOAA staying on top of it, maybe doing a little searching on [its] own? What are other veterans’ organizations doing about this?

CWO3 David Mastbergen, USN-Ret.
via e-mail

Editor’s note: See “From the Editor” (page 8), “Rapid Fire” (page 21), and “Washington Scene” (page 29) for MOAA’s response to this incident.

Missing Helicopter

It is difficult to understand how you could leave the CH-47 Chinook out of [“Choppers,” June 2006]. Hundreds of these helicopters have served for more than 40 years and didn’t even get a mention in the text, let alone a photo. The latest version of the Chinook, the CH-47F, will start rolling off the production line in June and will be in service for at least 20 or 30 years.

Lt. Col. N. Van Valkenburgh, USAF-Ret.
via e-mail

What We Do

Lt. Col. Jerry Gonzales, USA-Ret., wrote last month [“Your Views,” May 2006] wondering why so many articles in Military Officer are combat- or active duty-related. I’d say, because that’s what we do. ... If Jerry wants to read about cultural or political subjects, these days Vanity Fair [and] People have crowded into that field without any particular qualifications. Stay with what you do best!

Col. Bill Bagwell, USAF-Ret.
via e-mail