Obama says ‘no’ to pensions for WW II Alaska guards
WASHINGTON
In a strongly worded message to Congress outlining its priorities for a military spending bill, the Obama administration today said it disapproved of including money for pensions for 26 elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard.
The Guardsmen are among those assigned to protect Alaska from the Japanese during World War II.
The Army decided this year to no longer count service in the Guard in calculating the military’s 20-year minimum for retirement pay, although it still counts for military benefits. As a result, their pensions were decreased in January.
An estimated 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit formed in 1942 to protect Alaska, then a territory, from attack. The 26 men have enough other military service to reach the 20-year minimum for retirement pay but would lose it if the Territorial Guard service doesn’t count.
A Senate military spending bill up for a vote in the Senate allows the former Guard members count their service as part of active military duty, and it reinstates the payments.
State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to fill the pay gap until Congress made a permanent fix, but the White House said Friday it didn’t think it was “appropriate to establish a precedent of treating service performed by a state employee as active duty for purposes of the computation of retired pay.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who along with Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, sponsored the fix, called the administration move “deeply disappointing, bordering on insensitive.” The legislation honors 26 elderly Native people who are the few remaining survivors of a military unit that served the country with valor, Murkowski said.
“The administration’s justification, which is that the legislation will set the precedent of treating service as a state employee as federal service, defies logic and history,” she said in a statement:
“Sixty-two years after the Territorial Guard was disbanded, the Obama administration minimizes the contribution of this gallant unit to America’s success in World War II by calling its service ‘state service.’ “
Wild Thing’s comment…………
I honestly don’t know how much more of this from Obama I can stand.
To Obama they have three strikes against them:Veterans, from Alaska, and elderly.
But we can give money tothe Hams, billions to his Islamic brothers, Qaddafi among other wasted garbage organizations etc. Obama and Congress have spent our tax dollars on. But not a cent for those that have protected us and are willing to protect us from our enemies. Billions for ACORN but nothing for 26 old soldiers who served their nation with honor?
An estimated 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit formed in 1942 to protect Alaska, then a territory, from attack. The 26 men have enough other military service to reach the 20-year minimum for retirement pay but would lose it if the Territorial Guard service doesn’t count.”
These are native Alaskans. Sorta like the Navajo Code Talkers. These 26 gentlemen defended and prevented the Japanese from advancing up the Aleutians. They were awesome also, they were the only ones who could actually operate in Alaska and the Aleutians without major difficulties with the weather.
Obama can’t say we can’t afford it hell all he has to do is use the money he is giving to Libya!
Disgraceful, Dispicable, Scumbag! Hope he rots in hell!
Well, honoring these men’s courageous service would make Won look American and we can’t have that, ya know.
Why can’t we just all get together, on our own, and take care of these men and their families?
It can’t cost that much, in the grand scheme of things, especially Osambo’s ill conceived plans and projects.
They should ALL be given a special medal(s), as well as the “Presidential Unit Citation” (PUC). That would fry Osambo’s balls, assuming he has any.
How can they call it state service since Alaska was a territory at the time? They weren’t protecting a state, they were protecting a US possession.
The government douls out billions to people who have done absolutely nothing to contribute to this nation in any form; people that only take but never give. These men risked their lives to defend this nation and the pittance of money that they would get wouldn’t even pay for one of Obama’s Wednesday parties at the White House.
So for 26 elderly Alaskans who would have their 20 years in if their guard service counted and the Army and Obama decided to save some money.
But they can give billions to ACORN, put a tax cheat in charge of the treasury, and pay the mortgage of deadbeats, but for serving your country that’s not good enough.
These self-serving pompus bastards. This runs along with obamas crack that Wounded Military should pay for their own care.
Remember WT just how much Obama loves and cares as is shown in the statement he made:
“Look, it’s an all volunteer force,” Obama complained. “Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and accepted the risks. Now they whine about bearing the costs of their choice? It doesn’t compute..” “I thought these were people who were proud to sacrifice for their Country,” Obama continued. “I wasn’t asking for blood, just money. With the country facing the worst financial crisis in its history, I’d have thought that the patriotic thing to do would be to try to help reduce the nation’s deficit. I guess I underestimated the selfishness of some of my Fellow Americans.” ~ Barack Obama
Officially it’s money, but his prejudices are shown in his actions and words.
Major Marvin R Marston and Captain Carl Schreibner set up the Alaska Territorial Guard to protect the lend-lease routes and the Territory of Alaska, it’s unbelievable the harsh hardships these men endured with their Alaska native forces during a Japanese invasion on our homeland. Colonel Lawrence V. Castner, serving in General Simon Bolivar Buckner’s Alaskan Defense Command played a very important role in winning back the Attu and Kiska islands that the Japanese had invaded.
Castner’s Cutthroats was the unofficial name for the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon (Provisional), also known as Alaskan Scouts. Castner’s Cutthroats fought during World War II and were instrumental in defeating the Japanese during the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.
I wouldn’t expect anyone to do something I haven’t done or go someplace I haven’t been. Anyone who has been infantry and on the ground has to endure the elements as well as the battle, take a winter trip to the Aleutians and Pt. Barrow, get out and spend the day in each locale OsamaObama, then tell me these men don’t deserve compensation. Better yet Barack let me take you on a winter hunting trip in Alaska, I’m old and decrepit so I’ll make it easy, we’ll start at the Sagavanirktok River near Atigun Pass in January and you get a head start Barack, who ever makes it out first wins.
He’s insulting not only the Alaska Natives who fought the Japanese but also the Nisei, Japanese Americans born in the U.S, of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team nicknamed “The Purple Heart Battalion”, the 100th Infantry Battalion (United States), I don’t expect an African to know United States history but some of those soldiers in WWII were from Hawaii and it wasn’t a state either.
Billions for ACORN, not an extra dollar for American warriors. Not surprising. We now have in the White House the greatest enemy in American history. obama is going to destroy the heart and sul of America from the inside. obama and his followers are the worst kind of malignancy, traitors.
These Alaska Scouts are Americans. We must not forget them.
Yankeemom, yes that’s true.
SSgt Steve, USMC(PS), yes that
would really tick him off and show
him up too for what a horrible
person he is.
BobF., well said, you are so right.
Mark, yes it really does, it is right
in there with what you said about our
wounded military.
Jack, I want that quote of his on his
tombstone when he passes away.
Thank you Jack.
Tom, you are so right that is exactly
what we have now. It breaks my heart and
scares and angers me at the same time.
“We now have in the White House the greatest enemy in American history. obama is going to destroy the heart and sul of America from the inside.”
The amount of money here is so small and the benefit to these old men is so great its really a shame and a disgrace that Obama and those around him don’t see this. But then one has to remember this is a guy who wouldn’t wear a flag pin until he was more or less forced to do so. Sadly, the far left guy doesn’t like the military and will do nothing and I repeat nothing to help it or those in it unless he is able to turn it into a political advantage.