Troop 'Realignment' Will Hurt Military Families

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If a troop is stationed at one of the bases in a non-combat zone they have the option of having their family join them for the duration of their tour, subsidized by the military. The withdrawal of these troops from these areas won't mean, as Bush implies, that they will come home, rather it is almost certain that they will be redeployed to a hot spot like Iraq or Afghanistan, and be forced to seperate from their family, losing the benefit of that association and the resources that go with it, much as the families of soldiers killed in action are subjected to.

Said Kerry:

"Our military families have the right to expect real leadership of the armed forces from the Commander-in-Chief. They have a right to competitive pay and quality housing, decent health care and dental care. Quality education for their children. First rate training. The best possible weaponry and state-of-the-art equipment. They have a right to timely deployment information. And they have a right to know that, in the event of tragedy, help will be there to care and provide for their families and for them."

"Twenty-percent of our Reservists and their families don't have health care coverage. But George Bush threatened to veto funding for Iraq if it included more money for health care for Reservists, and then tried to cut the pay of soldiers in the field and school aid for children of military families. If I am President, our men and women in uniform will get the benefits they deserve.

This Administration also attempted to cut family separation allowances, imminent danger pay, and impact aid -- the help local schools depend on to give military kids the best possible education."

"I will honor the family members of those who fall in service not just with words, but with deeds. People like Cyndi Stever and her ten year old daughter Nichole. When Tony Stever was killed by enemy fire in Iraq last April, Cyndi said she felt she had lost her whole life. But more loss was to come - not just from an enemy, but from her own government. Not long after she buried her husband, Cyndi was told she and Nichole would have to leave their home. Military housing - they were told - is for military families. And since Tony made the ultimate sacrifice, they were no longer a military family.

How can this happen in the United States of America? It's not right to tell a family that has just received that knock on the door, "Oh, by the way - you have to pack up your home and move." Move where? Who among us thinks it's right to say such a thing? Who among us could move on short notice when you don't even know where your paycheck will come from? If this Administration says we can afford to throw massive tax cuts at the wealthiest Americans, then don't tell us to throw bereaved military families out of their homes without a chance to pull life back together.

So the Military Family Bill of Rights, will allow the spouses and children of those killed in action to remain in military housing for up to a year after the loss of a loved one. It will offer help to move on to a new life. It will provide one year of pay to military dependents of soldiers killed in action. It will make permanent increases in family separation allowances, and permanent guarantees of reservist access to military healthcare. For reservists who are called up, it will also permit penalty free withdrawals from their IRAS to cover the unexpected expenses of lengthy activations and deployments. This is the least we can do for those who give the most they can to our country."

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0317.html
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Here's Stars and Stripe's take on the planned redeployment:

Stability vs. strain: Troop relocation plan raises issues for military families

Quality of life for servicemembers could suffer if the Pentagon does not plan properly as it embarks on its plan to redeploy troops from Europe and Asia to stateside bases, one expert said. Most public schools surrounding military bases in the States already are at or near capacity, with budgets that won’t be able to accommodate an influx of students, said Joyce Raezer, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. “There are so many, so many issues,” she said. Raezer wondered whether the military will have enough medical providers to treat the influx of servicemembers and their families, and will the surge cripple the already-delayed access retirees suffer in getting treatment.

The plan, in reality, could mean more family separations, said Kathy Moakler, deputy director of government relations NMFA.

“We agree that it certainly will add to stability as far as location goes, but there’s a double-edged sword. This also means there will be more frequent deployments and more family separations.”

“Home base would force the Army to send them away from home more often,” said Brandi Hennessy, who now lives in Visalia, Calif. “I personally would rather spend a few years in Germany, and have my husband there with me most of the time, than spend his entire career in the U.S. and have him miss our children growing up. Six months is a long time in the life of a toddler. My husband missed our son’s first birthday, first steps, first words and many more firsts.”

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=23911