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MILITARY
OFFICER
APRIL 2010 $4.75 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MOAA | ONE POWERFUL VOICE®
WarHitsHome
Military children make countless sacrifices when a servicemember parent deploys — and it’s important to remember they need our help 52
BUDGET AGENDA
Pentagon seeks concurrent receipt, no TRICARE hike 31
FESTIVALS IN BLOOM
Flowers provide the perfect backdrop to celebrate spring 62
HISTORY LESSON
Overseas military intervention is nothing new 70
April_Cover.indd 1
Children in Wartime
“War Hits Home” [April 2010] ne- glected to mention the Armed Servic- es YMCA [ASYMCA], which provides significantly more family programs than many of the organizations listed under “Resources for Families.” The ASYMCA is one of a small
group of private organizations sup- porting the military, military fami- lies, and veterans that continue to receive a grade in the A category from the American Institute of Philanthropy. … I encourage you to check our website at
www.asymca .org. I should also point out that Fisher House is not listed in military family resources.
—Rear Adm. Frank Gallo, USN-Ret.
National Executive Director, ASYMCA via e-mail
I … resent the cover April 2010 state- ments regarding “War Hits Home” and the article within [that states], “Military children make sacrifices
1 4 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R J U N E 2 0 1 0
3/2/10 11:37 AM
WWW.MOAA.ORG
“I … resent the cover April 2010 statements regarding ‘War Hits Home’ and the article
within.”
— CWO2 Gordon S. Hall, USA-Ret.
when their parents deploy — and they need our sup- port.” Well — boohoo. I have greatest dis- dain for the special care
our present generation of military personnel and their families … are “entitled to” or need — especially if these “warriors” are in the National Guard. [It] seems as though special attention is given to each and every returnee from the combat zone when they step off their air transport. … I believe I am speaking for a vast number of senior retirees who re- ject such statements that those who are left behind “need our help.” Al- though I was unmarried during my first four tours of duty … I had one more Cold War tour — Iceland — and my wife and kids accepted my ab- sence as a usual event. My final tour of duty was in the
Vietnam War as an Army combat helicopter pilot. My wife gave our five children the mothering they deserved, and the kids returned her love without whimpering or believ- ing they deserved more attention.
—CWO2 Gordon S. Hall, USA-Ret. Memphis, Tenn.
Korean War
Never before have I heard the Ko- rean War explained as a “civil war on the Korean peninsula” (as described [in] “History Lesson” in the April 2010 issue). This is a blatant and false representation of the facts, and I’m sorry to see your editors let it be published as such. The division of the country occurred as a result of the invasion of the Chinese and subsequent boundary established at the peace talks; to teach otherwise is a total disservice to our veterans and the Korean citizens.
—Sara Smyth Jacobs via e-mail
It is less than satisfying for a soldier who served [in Korea] to find our bootprints erased, our dried blood etched away by the blowing sands of time, and the memory of the intense combat and suffering lost to the consciousness. … Korea from 1950- 53 was a meat-grinder, killing about 35,000 Americans in 37 months of war that was intensified by China’s insertion of about a million troops thrown against the U.S. forces from across the Yalu River.
—Capt. David A. Strongin, AUS-Ret. via e-mail
Budget Breakdown
I’ve enjoyed the April [issue] of Military Officer. The information you provided [in] Washington Scene is extremely informative. … What exactly is “federal budget” and “remaining federal budget” [in the charts on pages 36 and 37], espe- cially after all the other categories (which seem like federal budget) are separated out? Where do interna- tional aid and loans, etcetera, enter the picture? … This is all so confus- ing, but as we head down this road
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