Troops, vets deserve better

Army veterans are furious — and they have a right to be.
So are many soldiers.
We should be furious, too.

An Associated Press investigation of five years’ worth of records has revealed that the Army’s primary relief program is stockpiling funds even as many veterans are struggling financially.
And that’s not all.
The charity is tax-exempt and ostensibly independent, but the AP probe found that it is in fact run under the control of Army officials.
The investigation uncovered stories of superior officers pressuring troops to donate to Army Emergency Relief, or punishing troops (by delaying promotions or transfers) for not paying back loans from the charity.
Unlike some groups that provide aid through grants, AER only makes low-interest loans, which must be repaid.

Army officials disputed the allegation that officers do not abuse their position. They also defend the need to keep large amounts of revenue in reserve. “Look at the stock market,” said retired Col. Den-nis Spiegel, AER’s deputy director for administration. Without plenty of money in the bank, he said, “we’d be in very serious trouble.”
Between 2003 and 2007, AER re-served $117 million and spent just $64 million on direct aid. The charity provides emergency funds for financially stressed troops, and provides scholarships for their families.
While some military charities serve all veterans, AER provides aid only to active duty personnel and veterans who stayed in the Army long enough to gain retirement. Those who left the service before retirement are not considered.
Most of us know — or we can imagine — how hard it is to keep a family going while a soldier is away on deployment. That’s been especially true during the war on terror, which has required reservists and full-time personnel to complete multiple tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Reservists on active duty often are burdened by having to take leave of absence from their jobs, which provided for their families, and learning to live on military pay. Mortgages, medical bills, tuition and other costs suddenly loom as added obstacles.

Who is stepping in to meet these needs? Civilian charities.
These charities for military personnel and veterans say they are swamped with growing needs, some of them desperate needs. Families are losing their homes in the current mortgage crisis. Veterans who suffer from wounds received in action, or who struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, are finding it difficult to pay for medication.
The situation is tragic — and infuriating.
Our veterans and active-duty personnel, who sacrificed so much for us, ought not be ignored — especially by their own charity.

AER should reform itself along the lines of similar charities run for Navy and Air Force personnel, which set up safeguards to prevent abuse by officers.
As for the money that troops apparently have been pressured to donate up to now?
AER should use that money for the purpose collected — to help troops through their hard times.
Anything less is unconscionable.