Military Cuts=Job & Pension Losses For Career Officers

[Call me bubba]

news article regarding recent military cuts(RIF) is hurting some Officers who started as enlisted

yet not have enough TIG to obtain full pension

 

Cuts in Military Mean Job Losses for Career Staff

 

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — For all the insecurities of war, Capt. Elder Saintjuste always figured the one thing he could count on from the Army was job security.

A Haitian immigrant who enlisted as a teenager, he deployed three times to Iraq,

missing so many birthdays and Christmases that he sometimes felt he barely knew his four children. He hid symptoms of post-traumatic stress so he could stay in the Army, because he loved his job and believed that after 20 years he could retire with a captain’s pension.

 

Then this summer, on the day Captain Saintjuste reached his 20 years, the Army told him that as part of the postwar downsizing of the force he would have to retire. And adding insult to injury, he would have to retire as a sergeant, earning $1,200 less per month, because he had not been a captain long enough to receive a captain’s pension.

 

“I worked, I sacrificed, I risked my life, and they took it away like it didn’t matter,” Captain Saintjuste said as he brought groceries into his house near Fort Bragg. “It wasn’t just losing a job. It was like having your wife leave you suddenly and not tell you why. It’s your whole life.”

 

For the first time since the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, the Army is shrinking. Faced with declining budgets, the Army, the largest of the services, cut its force this year to 508,000 soldiers from 530,000, with plans to trim an additional 20,000 troops next year. If funding cuts mandated by Congress continue, the Army could have fewer than 450,000 soldiers by 2019 — the smallest force since World War II.

The cuts have largely come through attrition and reductions in recruiting, and have, so far, mostly affected low-ranking enlisted soldiers who have served only a few years. But this summer, the cuts fell on officers as well, 1,188 captains and 550 majors, many who were clearly intending on making a career of the military. More are expected to lose their jobs next year.

 

And for reasons the Army has not explained, the largest group of officers being pushed out — nearly one in five — began as enlisted soldiers.

 

For many of those officers, being forced out of a life they have known for a decade or more has been a disruption as shocking and painful as being laid off. They are losing jobs, and in many cases, receiving smaller pensions than they had expected — or no pensions at all.

They are being forced to give up their identities as soldiers. Some are losing their ranks or status as officers. All must be out by April.

 

“It’s our culture, it’s our family, it’s our language,” said Bill Moore, a captain working in intelligence at Fort Bragg. “A lot of us have been in since high school. We feel like we’ve given everything, our families have given everything, and they just give us a handshake and say ‘Thank you for your service.’ ”

Many are being pushed out despite having good records. When the Army announced the impending officer cuts a year ago, officials said they would target officers with evidence of poor performance or misconduct.

 

 

But an internal Army briefing disclosed by a military website in September showed the majority of captains being forced out had no blemishes on their records. The briefing, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, also showed that officers who had joined the Army as enlisted soldiers, then endured the demanding process required to rise into the officer corps, were three times as likely as captains who graduated from West Point to be forced to retire.

 

Many of those former enlisted officers had been encouraged to make the jump to the officer corps between 2006 and 2009 when the Iraq war was raging and the Pentagon was struggling to replace junior officers who were leaving the Army as soon as their initial commitments were over, often because they were worn out by multiple deployments.

 

The soldiers who volunteered to fill the gap — older than most junior officers because they had already served in the enlisted ranks — were picked from the best of the ranks, and some had to earn bachelor’s degrees to make the cut. Many said in interviews they believed they were being pushed out because they were entitled to more pay and were eligible for retirement earlier, since they had been in the Army longer than other commissioned officers.

 

“The Army knew we had more years and they could save money by cutting us,” said Capt. Tina Patton, 43, a combat medic who became an officer in 2007. “Looking back at our records, a lot of us can’t figure out why else we would be cut.”

 

The Army declined to discuss in detail its criteria for trimming the officer corps. “Selections for separation are based on a soldier’s manner of performance relative to their peers while serving as a commissioned officer,” Lt. Col. Benjamin Garrett, an Army spokesman, said in an email. “The boards retained those with the highest demonstrated levels of performance and the most potential for future contributions on active duty.”

 

Though the United States military has drawn down after every war, this one may seem more painful for many because they were not drafted but volunteered, often looking to make military service a career.

“They recruit with all kinds of promises, whether it’s career benefits or something more amorphous like being part of something bigger,” said Beth Bailey a professor at Temple University who studies the Army. “They support families in a way that makes it a whole lifestyle. People become part of an insulated Army culture. For that to suddenly be taken away, I’m not surprised they feel betrayed.”

 

The Army has tried to ease the transition, offering separation pay — a cash buyout of sorts — sometimes amounting to more than $100,000, and months of notice to give officers time to find other work.

 

Captains who served more than 20 years get a full pension, and those who served more than 15 years get a prorated pension. But many of those getting pensions — about a third — have not served the eight years required to retire as captains, according to Army data. When they leave the Army, those soldiers revert to their previous highest enlisted rank, often sergeant, with lower retirement pay.

 

Capt. Tawanna Jamison, 43, who served 22 years in the Army but only seven as a captain, will get a sergeant’s retirement pay of $2,200 per month, less than half of what a retired captain receives, which is about $4,500.

 

“I could be facing bankruptcy,” she said. “I was helping my daughter pay for college. Now she’s on her own. I couldn’t have planned for this. It’s hard not to feel like the Army isn’t trying to save money on our backs.”

Several officers said they neglected their home lives during the wars, believing they would eventually be repaid.

 

“Iraq, Afghanistan, jumping out of airplanes, doing all the training, leaving for work so early and coming home so late that I wouldn’t even see my family during the week, and I get nothing,” said Capt. Nathan Allen, who served more than 14 years as a linguist and intelligence officer and was awarded a Bronze Star.

As an officer, he worked 15-hour days, studying the latest intelligence for impending deployments while going through parachute and weapons training. He left for Iraq two weeks after the birth of his first child, and was in Afghanistan for the birth of his third. In seven years the family moved 10 times. Counting deployments and training, he estimated that he spent a third of his marriage away from his family.

 

“The whole time I told myself to just keep running and worry about the family later,” Captain Allen, who is stationed at Fort Meade, Md., said in an interview.

After he learned he was being forced out, he said, “I fell into a deep despair.” He started having chest pains and body aches that made it hard to get out of bed. In October, he and his wife started seeing a counselor.

“I’m a mess right now,” he said. “They took away who I am. I’m a soldier.”

Captain Allen and a number of other captains have urged members of Congress to pass legislation that could save their jobs, or at least their pensions. But no such bills have been introduced.

“They needed us to fight the Taliban,” Captain Allen said. “Now they don’t, so they pull the rug out from under us. Loyalty here seems like a one-way street.”

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/us/cuts-in-military-mean-job-losses-for-career-staff.html

[scott h]

Nothing new here. WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War (where I got riffed) now War on Terror. I am sorry if I appear to be a bit hard hearted, but to many soldiers (pick your service) consider the military to be a jobs program. A place where if you keep your nose clean, they can hide for 20, 25 or 30 years. Get a life time pension, medical insurance subsidized groceries.

 

He hid symptoms of post-traumatic stress so he could stay in the Army

. So he wouldn't have to face the insecurities of the civilian world.

 

And adding insult to injury, he would have to retire as a sergeant,

What actions did this officer take to make him more attractive to the Army retention board? Did he finish his college degree? Attend War College? Just like the civilian world why would upper management keep him over others?

 

I couldn’t have planned for this.

Utter poppycock. All the rules and regulations about retirement and retirement pay are written in black and white, and every soldier with more than 16 years of service, facing retirement and reentry into the civilian world (or retirement to the Philippines :thumbsup: ) usually spends more time calculating the amount of retirement pay and the options they face.

 

After 33 years of military service (and yes I did a certain amount of hiding also) I have seen many of these types of officers (and yes senior enlisted) before. I would be willing to be a case of San Miguel that if the reporter had access to the interviewed officers fitness reports they would see average performance. Is the military really so different from the civilian world? You keep the best and lay off the rest. The article is focused on prior enlisted officers and doesn't mention the amount of ROTC, Academy grads that also are not retained.

 

Sorry Rant over, but these whiners really tick me off. :1 (103):

[lonewolf]

i agree to a point scott h but after viet nam officers who came from ranks usually were give option to return to ranks, and could retire at highest rank reached. thgey have written a whole new set of rules, and he must of done something right he reached captain

[BrettGC]

I'm sort of conflicted about this.  Whilst I understand the "sheltered workshop" mentality that Scot speaks of, I've also seen many enlisted do a great job once (maybe because they were enlisted) they received a commission.  Here in Australia, the vast majority of "changeovers" (it's what we call them here) deserved it.  They tend to have a proven track record and a very strong commitment to the service.  But to qualify that, it does tend to be the personnel that made the jump from SNCO that excel; those from the "lower deck" it's hit and miss depending on how long they've served.  Don't get me wrong, I've known some brilliant officers that made the jump from Able Seaman/Leading Seaman (E4/5 for the yanks) but I've know some disasters that when on the ground I'd rather not have with me; it's pretty hit and miss much like anyone joining off the street.  

 

In summary, I think it's very unfair to categorise an entire group in the same bucket.  

[scott h]

You are right about Viet Nam and other earlier conflicts, Mustangs and battlefield promotions were usually offered reduction to previous ranks.

 

and he must of done something right he reached captain

 

Have to disagree a bit. He must not have done anything WRONG. Promotion from 2nd LT-1st LT-Captain is virtually automatic in todays military. Almost like E1-E2-E3 and to an extent E4 on the enlisted side. The real competition begins on the run to Major. (O4). The old joke is that as long as you don't impregnate the Generals daughter or urinated in the potted palm at the officers club, you will make Captain.

[Call me bubba]

This story does seem to have GOOD NEWS after all

for some who are effected by the current RIF/drawdown

 here is the update.

 

 

 

The Army changed its drawdown policy this week, notifying captains who were being forced to retire with sergeants’ benefits that they instead would retire at their current rank.

 

The change could mean $1 million more in benefits over a lifetime for 120 officers, according to lawmakers who pushed for the change.

“This is an issue of fundamental fairness, and today we have taken appropriate action,” the secretary of the Army, John M. McHugh, said in a statement.

 

Capt. Tawanna Jamison, who rose from enlisted soldier to become an officer, was being pushed out at the rank of sergeant first class. But under the policy change, she will get about $1,200 more per month in retirement pay.

 

“We fought and sacrificed and did well,” said Captain Jamison, who is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. “This change restores honor and treats us right.”

 

The Army notified 44 other officers who were being forced to leave less than two years shy of 20 years, when they would qualify for full retirement benefits, that they could keep their jobs.

 

The Army cut 1,188 captains and 550 majors this summer as part of a larger postwar drawdown that will shrink the force to about 450,000 — its smallest size since World War II.

 

Many of those people had been enlisted soldiers who became officers between 2006 and 2009 when the Iraq war was raging and the Pentagon was struggling to replace junior officers who were leaving the Army.

 

Because these officers had not served the eight years as captains required to retire at that rank, the Army initially said it would pay them at their highest enlisted rank — a sharp cut in benefits.

 

In November, after the practice was reported in The New York Times, Senators Patty Murray of Washington and Johnny Isakson of Georgia sent a letter to Mr. McHugh, saying, “To demote these soldiers in retirement is an injustice that devalues their service and will materially disadvantage them and their families for the rest of their lives.”

 

The Army announced the policy change in a notification to Congress on Monday, and the affected captains were notified Wednesday.

 

“It’s great news, but all the pain, the trouble, for six months,” said Capt. Elder Saintjuste, who learned that he would get full retirement pay. “Why couldn’t they have just done the right thing in the first place?”

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/us/politics/army-restores-full-benefits-for-captains-being-forced-out.html

[Jack Peterson]

“Why couldn’t they have just done the right thing in the first place?”

 

 Does any Administration in any country?