yourviews
2009] regarding legislators with a
“It is encour-
military background and noticed
aging to see
that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-
[U.S.] ef-
Ariz.) was listed. Why? She doesn’t
have a military background just be-
forts paying cause her husband is an astronaut.
dividends,
By applying the criteria used for
however in-
including her in the column, then all
cremental.”
military spouses deserve recognition
for their support.
— Maj. Michael Reich,
—Col. James Sandefer, USA-Ret.
USAF-Ret.
via e-mail
Editor’s note: The purpose of
the article was to highlight how
Thank you for your article legislators’ military experience (not
“Harvesting Change” necessarily service) helped shape
[May 2009]. It is encour- their decision-making in their legisla-
aging to see [U.S.] efforts tive duties. When we learned there
paying dividends, how- is a legislator who is the spouse of
ever incremental. I have an active duty servicemember, we
often wondered why [the thought that offered a novel perspec-
Seeds of Change U.S. doesn’t] do more to permanently tive, one that would interest many
I was pleased to see the front cover damage the poppy crop itself. of our members. We’re happy to
of the May 2009 Military Offi cer We possess a wealth of agricultural have as many legislators as possible
with the U.S. Army troops wearing knowledge and technology, espe- who have personal experience with
the 20th Engineer Brigade patch on cially here in the Midwest, to create a the military, and Giffords’ inclusion
their left shoulders, the same patch I poppy that would look like the culti- helped put a little different angle on
wore on my left shoulder in Vietnam vated fl owers but would have negative the story.
40 years ago. characteristics. They could be made
However, I note on page 1 that to provide a low-quality, unusable sap, Help Your Survivors
the photo identifi ed the troops as grow more aggressively, require twice Yes, it is vital for spouses to be
U.S. Air Force. If you would please as much water, etcetera. informed [“In the Know,” Rapid
recheck your photo credit sources [This modifi ed] seed could be Fire, May 2009]. Assembling all the
again, I think you will fi nd these mixed into existing stocks before things that a spouse should know
soldiers to be U.S. Army Engineers being planted or seeded from the can be very challenging, as I learned
rather than U.S. Air Force. air from drones directly into poppy from experience. A survivor’s ben-
—Lt. Col. David R. Elmore Jr., fi elds. The subsequent growth and efi ts can [include] becoming an
USAR-Ret. cross-pollination could effectively annuitant of [the Survivor Benefi t
via e-mail destroy the value of the entire fi eld Plan (SBP)], for example, [as well
with little risk to our troops, the as] retirement benefi ts from other
Editor’s note: Several readers farmers, or the environment. employment. A spouse should know
wrote to alert the editors to this error. —Maj. Michael Reich, USAF-Ret. the location of [her] husband’s life
The image was (correctly) credited to via e-mail policies, for example, and joint in-
an Air Force photographer, and we in- vestments that the spouse may not
advertently transferred the photogra- Spouse Experience even be aware of.
pher’s service affi liation to the caption I just read the [feature article] To simplify it for [my] wife, we
of the photo. “Leaders by Experience” [May took out a safe-deposit box in which
14 MILITARY OFFICER JULY 2009
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