What a Hard Year for the Military!

The 10-year anniversary of 9/11 is right around the corner, and already this has been quite a hard year for the U.S. and for the military. I have been engaged in several national security classes this summer, and these have really helped illuminate the fact that the world outside of the U.S. can be a pretty scary place, especially with respect to the political unrest in the Middle East.

This year has also been pretty action-packed year - from the widely publicized deaths of members of the military to the possible government shutdowns to all the talk about budget deficits, pay cuts, and military spending. My husband always tells me, “You shouldn’t worry about military pay unless I worry,” but even he was scared twice this year that we were not going to get paid. It’s terrifying to think that we might not be able to pay our monthly financial obligations to our creditors, and we just didn’t have the extra money in savings. As a result of our daughter’s illness, our savings balance has been on the decline. When you add up all the trips to the various specialists and hospitals, it gets quite expensive.

The American people have been dealing with the possibility of a government shutdown since this past April, and then the problem resurfaced here again in August. Since no solid agreements were reached in advance within a reasonable amount of time, the military, along with the citizens of the United States, were left in a state of limbo. I personally think that our service members deserve respect, and that includes being paid on time. They are putting their lives on the line, spending time away from home and are fighting the Global War on Terrorism. We as family members should not have to worry about whether the bills are going to get paid. We already accrue enough stress as it is during regular deployments.

However there are a few Senators and Representatives that are looking out for us and I commend them for standing up for service members and military families. I have been a strong supporter of the Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act when it was introduced in April 2011. Despite the universally recognized righteousness of the principle behind this bill, the bill only has 80 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate and only 201 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. We can do better!

I urge you to educate yourself, your family, and your friends on the issues that pertain to us and our lives. I think the best thing we can do as responsible citizens is contact the offices of our members of Congress here in our local districts. Let them know how you feel and what you think should be done. Trust me - I talk to my congressman all the time. As a matter of fact, I talk to several and let them know exactly what I have been hearing about these issues. You should do the same.