Posted on 06/03/2010 3:04:58 PM PDT by blam
US Army Charges Sniper For Lost Gear After He Was Shot
Vince Veneziani
Jun. 3, 2010, 5:17 PM
Image: Seattle Weekly
Sniper Gary Pfleider was wounded while in patrol in Iraq back in 2007. A sniper shot him through his left leg and he didn't think he was going to make it. Luckily, he pulled through and received a Purple Heart for his bravery in combat according to Seattle Weekly.
But that's not the only thing the Army awarded him with. They also gave him a bill for more than $3000 because of the gear he had to leave behind after being shot.
Seattle Weekly: Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
Pfleider claims he got sworn statements from his bosses that he was no longer liable. The government says he may have misfiled them, or they may be lost. It's issuing a ruling on Friday to determine what Pfleider owes.
Luckily, strangers from all over the country have reached out to Pfleider, offering to pay his debts off. But Pfleider won't accept the money. He's busy waiting for a response back from the military on why he owes $3000 in the first place.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
His correct name was Francis Gary Powers, he was known primarily by his middle name. Even so, your point is fabulous, and very funny.
That is the problem of course... Probably hundreds of similar events happen but only those that get media attention get resolved. Many do not get a Congressman/Senator’s involvement. Most just slip under the bureaucracy.
There in lies the problem...... My congressman knows my name due the the vast amount of correspondence I send his way. I cuss him sometimes, praise him others... but I voted for him,,, he'd better listen!
“This is a disgrace - but understandable with the current Commander in Chief.”
And understandable with the current crop of “perfumed princes”...
“Normandy landing today...with 1,500 troops wounded”
and 4000 dead in the first hour...
Well I certainly hope we get interest on the amount he owes /s
His company commander should have done his job by writing off the loss of the equipment as “combat related” before the CO departed Iraq.
Lock, you are correct about the statement of charges. I nearly got to buy a $100,000 Xenon search light that broke off the mount on my M60A2 during gunnery at Grafenwoehr. We hit a washboard section of the tank trail and got all shook up, I went up nearly out of my commander’s hatch and then fell to the floor when my seat fliped up. I got a broken nose out of it. The two tanks in front of me, the CO and Plt Ldr didn’t get damage to the tanks but the CO ended up on the back deck with 2 or 3 broken ribs and the Plt Ldr only went as far as the bussle rack.
An examination showed that the mount portion of the search light broke, thus I (and my crew) were absolved of not properly mounting the searchlight and being charged for it.
During combat, the CO can write off equipment lost in combat. Apparently this CO either didn’t do it or the paperwork was lost. Knowing how the Army has NOT been keeping proper records during the last 9 years of combat, I’m no surprised at the latter.
Looks like this type of thing is not a new practice.
Wounded Soldier Charged For Damaged Body Armor
UPDATED: 7:32 am CST February 8, 2006
(( ping ))
Yep. Either his CO or the S4 dropped the ball, but, either way, this was an easily avoidable situation.
They’ll start charging KIA’s families next.
I lost the coffee pot....
We had an old permanently wired 10 gallon cofee pot in our office. I took it to our ware house/boneyard when the office was remodled and enlarged. We received a ship load of cement and had to store it where ever we could find room including the warehouse. The coffee pot was taken to the Navy yard salvage yard
We had change of command. The coffee pot was on the property list but was missing.......
I spent two days combing through all the assorted junk till I found it. It wasn’t assigned to me but I was low on the totem pole and had to fond it.
I guess he should have removed it before going into combat so it would not have been soiled with his American blood.
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