WASHINGTON—A meeting today gave great promise that a major bureaucratic glitch affecting Iowa National Guard members’ education benefits could soon be fixed giving Guard members time to register for spring college classes. This fix would also make eligibility for enhanced GI bill benefits retroactive for those already attending fall classes.
Bud Shatzer, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Review Boards who oversees the Army Board for Correction of Military Records, which would hear the appeals, said that the Board has since dedicated staff to only work on the issues facing the 34th Infantry. Shatzer indicated that the Guard members would need to fill out a one-page questionnaire that would then be sent to the Board along with copies of their previous orders. The National Guard has been working to identify individuals who need to fill out a form and to submit the forms directly to the appeal board for the soldiers. The Board indicated in the meeting that they couldgenerally get the appeal approved within 24 hours. The Iowa National Guard would then make the necessary adjustments to the soldiers’ orders.
“The quicker we help these soldiers, the better,” Grassley said. “We’ve got brave men and women who deserve the benefits their service to our country provides.”
Earlier this week, Grassley, along with members of the Iowa Congressional delegation and colleagues from other states impacted, wrote to President George Bush asking him to correct the glitch. A copy of that letter follows here.
October 16, 2007
The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Bush:
We write today to request your assistance in resolving a matter of great inequity affecting some of the finest members of our nation’s armed forces. We respectfully request that you take corrective action regarding a disparity relative to eligibility for Montgomery GI education benefits for the First Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry.
The First Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry recently returned from an active duty tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). This unit, known as the "Red Bulls," has a history of excellence and bravery that dates back to the Civil War. Just as their comrades who served before them, the members of the 1/34th performed magnificently in their duties in the Middle East consistent with the highest tradition of armed services.
Their deployment kept them in 30 days longer than any other unit serving as a part of OIF. During their time, they drove over 4,500 round trip convoy missions logging 2.2 million miles of convoys in . In other areas they fought al-Qaida and provided critical security to our military bases, saving countless lives of their comrades in arms.
Approximately half of the 1/34th BCT, including over 1,200 members from Minnesota, Iowa, New Jersey, North Dakota, Idaho, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Nebraska, have realized that despite their extended service, they are not eligible for the education benefits they deserve. Because of an inexplicable difference in their active duty orders, soldiers who were deployed for the same amount of time to as many of their comrades are not able to claim Chapter 30 education benefits. In many of the cases, their orders reflect 729 days of service when 730 is the necessary number.
Many of us have been in touch with Secretary of the Army Peter Geren about the issue but unfortunately the Secretary does not have the authority to amend these orders to reflect the true service of these troops. The issue has been referred to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records, but the board has disallowed these affected servicemembers from applying as a group - delaying their prospects for success and jeopardizing their ability to enroll in the 2008 spring semester at colleges and universities across the country.
Because of their extended service and the extreme circumstances involved in their particular case, we ask that you take action, including the issuance of an Executive Order if necessary, to grant the members of the 1/34th Chapter 30 Active Duty GI Bill education benefits immediately. These troops and their families deserve nothing less.
Sincerely,
Chuck Grassley Tom Harkin
Tom Latham Leonard Boswell Steve King David Loebsack
Bruce Braley
Norm Coleman Amy Klobuchar
James L. Oberstar Collin C. Peterson
Jim Ramstad Betty McCollum
John Kline Michele Bachmann
Keith Ellison Tim Walz
Blanche Lincoln Robert Menendez
Kent Conrad Byron Dorgan
Mike Crapo Herb Kohl
Sam Brownback Pat Roberts
Frank Lautenberg Chuck Hagel
Earl Pomeroy