Dear Senator Coleman,

As a constituent with several friends over in Iraq, as well as, having a relative that has served 6 tours in the Middle East, I have some strong opinions and thoughts on what should be done to help transition our service men and women when they return home from their time serving our country overseas. I have written in the past and articulated my dismay at the unfortunate inadequacy of support that appears to be the standard for deployed soldiers and their families.

One friend of my told me that his two year old boy asked Mommy who that man was that was visiting. He was home on a 2-week leave. Heart breaking, and now they try to communicate via the Internet as often as possible, but it still is not the same.I have some thoughts and ideas to assist in a successful transition. I do hope that the rumors of another extension are false. 490 days in theater consecutive is more than any unit should have to give, let alone a National Guard unit.

With that said, here are my thoughts:

1. Full benefits and retirement at 20 years or age 50 for those “reserve” units that have served in excess of a standard deployment in a war zone. Equivalent active duty days should be a relatively easy standard to assess and provide for accordingly.
2. Full medical etc. for their families during the period of transition. (minimum 18 months, more if the soldier is in disability status).
3. Zero interest loans for those Iraq veterans that were small businessmen and were mobilized for war. I have heard several stories of families not being able to make it on the salaries that the Army provides even with combat pay. Zero interest loans would be available for those that may want to start a business, or have lost their jobs due to the deployments.
4. Full investigation of any act of discrimination by any employer due to the soldier being extended. Adequate compensation for both the soldier and the employer if no intended malfeasance was determined.
5. Rather than “de-compress” at a unit away from home, allow for 2 weeks of active duty at the home unit, with an additional 1 day a week for these soldiers to get together and discuss any issues that may be arising making re-integration more difficult. This should be an Active duty status day, and thusly fall under the same anti-discrimination act that protects soldiers’ jobs while they are deployed. I would envision squads sitting down and talking, playing cards, or whatever they need to do so that they can monitor each other, as well as get help if they feel overwhelmed.
6. Ensure that a VA clinic is established in the Bemidji Area for all veterans.
7. Provide free day-care for those families that have had an extended deployment so that families can take care of their medical needs, current work schedules, or other necessary events. Encourage volunteers to assist at such a facility by providing volunteer time vouchers for any person that can be classed as donation credit on their income taxes.
8. For any soldier that is either making less that the standard volunteer rate ($18.05 per hour see-Independant Sector.org) issue a bonus for the difference or allow for a tax credit of the difference.

Finally, I would suggest to you that Congress needs to investigate and prosecute any false statements that may have been issued which have lead to such a travesty and abuse of the War Powers set out in the Constitution. Thank you for your time in this matter.

Sincerely,

William J. “BJ” Glesener