**DONOTDELETE**
03-25-2002, 07:57 AM
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/24/112616.shtml
These poeple need a dose of perspective!
Military Heroes Will Never Demand Charity
Dave Eberhart, NewsMax
Monday, March 25, 2002
War has always been portrayed as hell, and now as also financially unfair to the survivors of the gallant fallen – at least to those who consider the disparity between what a 9-11 survivor can expect as compensation for the loss of a family member and what the survivors of a GI killed during operations in the Afghanistan theater rate as a matter of law.
Kenneth Feinberg, the 9-11 fund administrator, announced this month that the average award would grow to about $1.85 million, about $200,000 more than calculated in December. He also guaranteed a minimum payout of $250,000. Additionally, the award for each surviving spouse and child of the 9-11 attack has doubled to $100,000, and families will get money for the lost earning potential of victims.
In stark contrast, the amount of money due to the survivors of our heroes in Afghanistan (or in the future, the Philippines and elsewhere) who are killed in the far-ranging war on terrorism is a $6,000 direct death benefit -- half of which is taxable. Additionally, $1,750 is allotted for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there’s a payment of $211 per month for each child -- until the age of 18.
A review of pending legislation before Congress reveals a number of bills concerning military survivor benefits, but all basically address tax relief and the removal of offsets. None offer any outright increases in entitlement to survivors of military men and women killed in action or by accident.
The media, however, has been trumpeting the issue.
ABC’s Sam Donaldson recently asked Afghan War commander Gen. Tommy Franks about the disparity.
"[F]or more than 200 years, the U.S. has done a great job of taking care of -- of her men and women in uniform,” said Franks. "I think -- I think the way our people and their families are cared for is something that -- that every service member is aware of, and, in fact proud of.
"I suspect that -- that anytime there is seen to be some -- some discrepancy, such as the one that you described, that -- that this nation will take a look at it, and if it makes sense to change it, I suspect that it’ll be changed.
These poeple need a dose of perspective!
Military Heroes Will Never Demand Charity
Dave Eberhart, NewsMax
Monday, March 25, 2002
War has always been portrayed as hell, and now as also financially unfair to the survivors of the gallant fallen – at least to those who consider the disparity between what a 9-11 survivor can expect as compensation for the loss of a family member and what the survivors of a GI killed during operations in the Afghanistan theater rate as a matter of law.
Kenneth Feinberg, the 9-11 fund administrator, announced this month that the average award would grow to about $1.85 million, about $200,000 more than calculated in December. He also guaranteed a minimum payout of $250,000. Additionally, the award for each surviving spouse and child of the 9-11 attack has doubled to $100,000, and families will get money for the lost earning potential of victims.
In stark contrast, the amount of money due to the survivors of our heroes in Afghanistan (or in the future, the Philippines and elsewhere) who are killed in the far-ranging war on terrorism is a $6,000 direct death benefit -- half of which is taxable. Additionally, $1,750 is allotted for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there’s a payment of $211 per month for each child -- until the age of 18.
A review of pending legislation before Congress reveals a number of bills concerning military survivor benefits, but all basically address tax relief and the removal of offsets. None offer any outright increases in entitlement to survivors of military men and women killed in action or by accident.
The media, however, has been trumpeting the issue.
ABC’s Sam Donaldson recently asked Afghan War commander Gen. Tommy Franks about the disparity.
"[F]or more than 200 years, the U.S. has done a great job of taking care of -- of her men and women in uniform,” said Franks. "I think -- I think the way our people and their families are cared for is something that -- that every service member is aware of, and, in fact proud of.
"I suspect that -- that anytime there is seen to be some -- some discrepancy, such as the one that you described, that -- that this nation will take a look at it, and if it makes sense to change it, I suspect that it’ll be changed.