I saw something the other day that really upset me and will share it with you because it's part of what alot of National Gaurdsmen and reservist must deal with, getting paid what their worth. At least that's what The way I see it. Men and women from all over America are serving here and are prepared to die. For this and the daily things they do they recieve a paycheck. So maybe this is what the Army figures a life is worth. For the most part I think the Army pay system is fair, what I have a problem with is the hypocracy that controls it.

The Army pay scale is from E1 to E9, the rank follows the same scale. Usually E1 to E4 is up to the commander to decide who gets to what scale and it's generally considered automatic from E1 to E4. All the rest are Seargents and have to recieve schooling and review boards, but this to can be misleading because the Army can waive just about all requirments if it chooses to do so. So on all Army forms it says- Pay grade/rank, with the idea being one can earn a level of pay not in accordance to rank. If there is a dental hygenist that loves their job they were once able to stay at that posistion and recieve E5-E8 pay without being a Seargent, made sense but it no longer applies. The Army now says all people in pay grades E5 and above are competent combat Seargents. I will just say that's PC/BS.

So here's what I saw. A young soldier in the grade of E3 that is on his second combat tour here in Iraq and has a wife and two small children, was told that before he could get E4 pay he had to be given and pass a physical fitness test. This is not, last time I checked, Army policy unless pushed by those in charge, remember it can be waived anytime. The man just wanted to make life a little more comfortable for his wife and children back home and the Army simply said, " Even though you are facing death everyday and your job will not change in the least with a pay raise, you don't deserve it unless you pass this fitness test."

I am a huge believer in soldiers being physically fit and fitness being vital to mission accomplishment. The problem is that the rule is selectivly applied and not the least bit adhered to in the Gaurd. I can also say that the Army has a rule that soldiers must be a certain height and wheight regardless of physical fitness. After all fitness test soldiers are processed through for height and wheight and even if you are one pound overwheight and scored perfect on your fitness test you can be "Flagged for all favorable actions" for two years. This means no promotions or schools for two years. If one passes an ensuing body fat analysis then everything is OK.

With so much emphasis on height, wheight and fitness one would think that the army is physically fit, not true. I can honestly say that in the four months before I arrived in Iraq my group of almost seven hundred men was required to exercise just five times. We went on a march and lost close to thirty percent of the people from lack of fitness. In theory hundreds of men should not have been allowed to come here but the numbers were needed on the ground, and I am personally OK with that, "soldier on" so to speak. What I have a problem with is the hypocracy behind this particular soldier risking his life for his country and obstacles being thrown in his way so an indivivdual or small group can boast about "Maintaining standards".
I also have seen hundreds of people get promoted without ever taking a fitness test. This is called "Pencil whipping" and all that happens is the fitness scores are pencled in as well as the height and wheight so "Standards are met".

That soldier and many other E3 and E4s deserve to be paid what they are worth and their families should be taken care of properly. I find it pathetic that the Army would allow such malicious things to occur to its lesser ranked soldiers. I should hope some of these guys similiar to the E4s from Tennesse I mentioned in an earlier blog, should draw pay for what they actually do. And if that were the case those two should be getting E6 or E7 pay. I've seen far too many top pay earners doing nothing more then watch a radio once every three days. The fact that thousands of people are drawing "Hostile fire" pay while staioned in Kuwait is a good example of the hypocracy be behind "Standars being met". Those folks don't come within a hundred miles of "hostile fire" yet this young man is denied a three hundred dollar payrise while living "Outside the wire".

I just wish the Army would stick to its standards equally and not always allow such bias from individuals within the system. But that is the system and something that we deal with everyday. When I see a person making three times what this private makes yet never leaving the comforts of an air conditioned building and having a medical excuse from wearing combat gear it really seems unjust.

I believe this soldier will now get promoted with about three months left on his second year of combat duty. I would hope that someday the Army will pay people for what they are worth, bring back the Specialist 5 thru 7 rank. I think the people here are definetly worth far more then that.