Soldier pays for armor - Army demanded $700 from city man who was wounded

WV Gazette ^ | 2/7/06

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February 07, 2006

Soldier pays for armor # Army demanded $700 from city man who was wounded

By Eric Eyre Staff writer

The last time 1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV saw his body armor, he was lying on a stretcher in Iraq, his arm shattered and covered in blood.

A field medic tied a tourniquet around Rebrook’s right arm to stanch the bleeding from shrapnel wounds. Soldiers yanked off his blood-soaked body armor. He never saw it again.

But last week, Rebrook was forced to pay $700 for that body armor, blown up by a roadside bomb more than a year ago. - advertisement - Find a job today.

He was leaving the Army for good because of his injuries. He turned in his gear at his base in Fort Hood, Texas. He was informed there was no record that the body armor had been stripped from him in battle.

He was told to pay nearly $700 or face not being discharged for weeks, perhaps months.

Rebrook, 25, scrounged up the cash from his Army buddies and returned home to Charleston last Friday.

“I last saw the [body armor] when it was pulled off my bleeding body while I was being evacuated in a helicopter,” Rebrook said. “They took it off me and burned it.”

But no one documented that he lost his Kevlar body armor during battle, he said. No one wrote down that armor had apparently been incinerated as a biohazard.

Rebrook’s mother, Beckie Drumheler, said she was saddened — and angry — when she learned that the Army discharged her son with a $700 bill. Soldiers who serve their country, those who put their lives on the line, deserve better, she said.

[Terabitten]

Something doesn't add up here...Before garnishment would occur there would be a quick investigation at his former command as to the disposition of the vest. On the DD-200 Survey form, the findings would be documented and he Commanding Officer makes a determination whether to "write off" the lost/damaged equipment or garnish the cost from the servicemember. What CO in his right mind would charge one of his wounded under these circumstances?

I'm with you here. I'm a former infantry officer and I've done dozens of reports of survey, and had God-only-knows how many done on soldiers under my command. Generally speaking, the soldier is given the option of Report of Survey or signing a Statement of Charges. Assuming the soldier is telling the complete truth, he should have demanded a report of survey. A survey officer (usually a platoon leader, but not HIS platoon leader) from his battalion would be appointed to do a quick investigation as to the cause of the loss. Surveys have a 30 day limit, if I recall correctly, so at most, the soldier would only be in the Army for another thirty days. Combat loss surveys are usually pretty simple, so I can't imagine why this soldier didn't refuse the statement of charges. Generally speaking, signing a statement of charges is considered an admission that yeah, you lost it, and you don't have a good reason.

[Wristpin]

The other ironic thing here is that the beancounters threaten to keep an Officer on the Army payroll for two more weeks to collect $700 for a blown up vest instead of writing it off.

I'm with Eagle Talon on this one..it doesn't add up. De facto Bush smear job.

[xsrdx]

No one wrote down that armor had apparently been incinerated as a biohazard.

A soldier cannot clear supply without accounting for his/her issued equipment.

They either turn it in, pay for it, or present documentation regarding it's disposition - survey, 15-6, or damage statement.

This was a 1LT that knew better. This is about paperwork, nothing more, and it's not even difficult paperwork.

A simple narrative stating the armor was destroyed through combat action, signed by the unit commander, would clear the debt.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Yes I do think it would have been cleared up.

[Terabitten]

“I last saw the [body armor] when it was pulled off my bleeding body while I was being evacuated in a helicopter,” Rebrook said. “They took it off me and burned it.”

But no one documented that he lost his Kevlar body armor during battle, he said. No one wrote down that armor had apparently been incinerated as a biohazard.

This makes the combat loss Report of Survey even simpler. A couple telephone interviews and it's a done deal.

Give me a copy of your Purple Heart citation, sergeant, it has the date and circumstances of your injury. A phone call to the dustoff unit later, I'd find out if it was their general SOP to burn equipment that they considered biohazard. Voila! The armor is a combat loss, no pecuniary liability to the soldier.

[Terabitten]

Oh sh*t, I didn't even notice that he was a first lieutenant. Yeah, he DEFINITELY should have known better.

[Eagles Talon IV]

A soldier is responsible for his equipment. If it is destroyed then it is incumbent on him or her to secure the documents necessary to ensure they are not responsible. In this particular case the people who treated him are easily contacted and the necessary paperwork will be filed. The soldier will get his money back. If exceptions are made in a case like this then where do they stop? The military runs on discipline and regimentation and if this is allowed to be ignored in any instance then chaos will follow.

[KarlInOhio]

I had a coworker who used to joke about screw-ups like this. For a while in the Army he worked with nuclear artillery shells. He said the two things he learned were

1. A clean Bomb is a happy Bomb, and
2. Pray there isn't a war because if you use your nuclear shell in battle, some REMF will lose the paperwork and make you pay for it - and nuclear bombs aren't cheap.

[robowombat]

Which is why, if I had a Bn CO who really was that much of an A hole and was on my way out of the US Army I would have visited the Brigade commander at the least making sure to show up in Class A's so he could see my ribbons and make sure my arm was really 'crippled' that day and I would be certain my USMA ring was gleaming on my ring finger.

I know of a USMC SSGT who brought a world of hurt down on a Navy Supply Corps LT during Viet Nam in similar circumstances. Of course he had a leg amputated compliments of Charlie and when he went to visit the regimental commander his prosthetic limb was unfortunately out of service that day.

[Gil4]

Their PC policy says that chaplins are not to say "Jesus".

It's worse than that - they aren't allowed to say anything at all:

P.S. - It's "chaplain" (unless you mean Charlie.)

[Holicheese]

I find this story a little hard to believe.

[Eagles Talon IV]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1573713/posts?page=47#47

[wolfcreek]

Exactly. When my husband and son both deployed they made me promise that I would not, under any circumstances say anything stupid to the MSM....

My daughter is headed for the Air force in march. I'll be sure and make that promise to her and hopefully she'll do the same.

[Eagles Talon IV]

I only pay when I know I'm wrong.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1573713/posts?page=47#47

[Wristpin]

It seems resonable that the Officer wouldn't be able to get a copy of the Survey Report when he is MEDEVACed out. The Bean counters at the outprocessing facility need to be able to "reason" and take care of this quickly. Some prick signed off on the garnishment here.

The same thing goes for the Hazardous Duty pay SNAFU's at Walter Reed. Someone thoughtful needs to scrub each wounded's pay record when they arrive and shut off any pays that will be need to be painfully recouped later. This stuff ain't hard!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Upon further reflection, please keep an eye on this one. If you see additional stories on this exact same soldier, post 'em and ping us. If this is a One Hit Wonder, then it's a smear job against the military and the President because the info is wrong about how loss of equipment is handled.

What's the political bent of the WV Gazette? (All papers have one.)

And really....we're in the middle of a war! Was the loss of a bayonnette during WWII taking up ink in Life Magazine because the soldier was required to pay the $1 it would cost the Army to replace it? I seriously doubt it.

Not questioning your motive for posting this, at all. It's good to educate people so they can spot a smear job disguised as "news" when they see it. It just doesn't pass the "smell test" for some of us old Supply Sergeants. :)

[1035rep]

Sounds like BS

[Little Bill]

I didn't get paid for the last five months in the Army, I got evaced out and my paper work was lost for seven years, got discharged on my ID card and temporary records.

Tried to pursue it but it was such a pain in the ass that I said the hell with it.

[Leisler]

I had a jeep ambulance assigned to me. The little, 4 cylinder, 2 stretcher, same as since WWII types. The thing was ancient, held together by God knows how many years of paint jobs. So long as you didn't start it, or move it, it would pass all inspections. However other than the lovely Gamma Goat, this was our only vehicle in the medic section. It always worked, in a way but something was always breaking, sparking, dropping off, flickering, burning. Pretty much every time it left the motor pool, I'd return it right in front of the mechanics section. It was always failing inspections. Which would drag down the section, the company and Battalion would notice. The section leader and OIC would put in for a new jeep, but we'd never get it. Solution? We put it on a air drop, told the rigger our sad story, ahem, and gave him some drinking money. Next day, out the back of a 141 comes the jeep, no chute opening, hits ground wheels fly off and we get a brand new jeep. Priceless, save for the taxpayer.

[jude24]

This is nothing but a not so subtle attempt to bash the military...

A military structure that charges a wounded enlisted officer for armor lost in the heat of battle deserves to be bashed. Our troops deserve much better.