E-mail from SF in Iraq

[fallingblock]

I did my five years in the U.S. Army....

and it wouldn't be difficult at all for any news reporter to have pointed out to them the "champion-griper" in any unit.
Some guys just make a hobby out of complaining...

especially about having to be where folks are shooting at them .

Solution?

Don't sign the paper, recite the oath, or take the pay...
these are all volunteers

 

[bjengs]

Don't sign the paper, recite the oath, or take the pay...
these are all volunteers

Amen! Would someone tell these Army wives to cram it, too? Just shut up, say thanks for the housing, training, and tax-free income, and remember that your hubby agreed to be a soldier, not a welfare queen.

 

[Sean Smith]

From my time in the military, I'd break it down like this:

1/3 of the spouses bend over backwards to do the right thing.
1/3 of the spouses are self-absorbed whiners.
1/3 of the spouses are fooling around with whatever sad sacks weren't deployed.

Expect a spate of murders when the troops come back.

 

[Destructo6]

and tax-free income

Which tax-free income is that? My salary was taxed just like any other American's.

Gotta keep in mind that there's always about 5% in any unit that are problem childeren and constantly under hack. And dependant wives rarely understand that their husbands must fulfill their duty: I know mine couldn't understand it for the entire time I was on Okinawa.

 

[444]

Let's assume that any of these letters are gunuine, and I have no reason to believe that they arn't.
Take any organization, I don't care if it is the NRA, the democratic party, the military, or where you work. There are people who love it there and believe in everything that is being done. There are people that whine constantly, nothing about that organization can satisfy them. There are people that do what they are told most of the time and take it all in stride. If you wanted to interview people from any organization, it would be very easy to make the interview come out any way you want it to depending on who you interview and what parts of the interview you choose to include in the final product.
This subject is no different. If you could see all the letters sent home from Iraq, you would find all types of people writing all types of letters. You would get the guy that hates being in the military, who doesn't think he is getting enough to eat, doesn't think that anyone knows what they are doing, doesn't think the US is doing everything they can for the people of Iraq. You will get guys that are at the peak of their life, they have trained for years to serve in combat and are thrilled to death to see the elephant; food, overall mission goals, and general comfort don't even enter their mind. And you will get the guys that miss their families and don't say a whole lot about what is going on with them.
Trying to draw any conclusions about the general situation from the perspective of a few people is a waste of time. Everyone has their own viewpoint, everyone has their own perspective.

 

[RKCheung]

Which tax-free income is that? My salary was taxed just like any other American's.

Servicemembers serving in certain designated areas are exempt from paying federal taxes as long as they serve at least one day of the month in that area.

There are many officers and senior enlisted who are pulling in a LOT of money from this stint due to this.

 

[Byron Quick]

Which IRS regulations discuss this?

 

[Sean Smith]

Paying no taxes for 6+ months is indeed real money. I thought it was great! Of course, back then I was making $24,253.20 a year as an O-1, so it's not like I was soaking Uncle Sucker for that much money.

 

[RKCheung]

Which IRS regulations discuss this?

Check out this section of the IRS website:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=97273,00.html

The tax laws provide some special benefits for active members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in combat zones.

For federal tax purposes, the U.S. Armed Forces includes officers and enlisted personnel in all regular and reserve units controlled by the Secretaries of Defense, the Army, Navy and Air Force.

 

[Sean Smith]

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=101262,00.html

Yes, if you serve in a combat zone as an enlisted person or as a warrant officer (including commissioned warrant officers) for any part of a month, all your military pay received for military service that month is excluded from gross income. For commissioned officers, the monthly exclusion is capped at the highest enlisted pay, plus any hostile fire or imminent danger pay received. For 2002, the most an officer could earn tax-free each month was $5,532.90 ($5,382.90, the highest monthly enlisted pay, plus $150 hostile fire or imminent danger pay). The Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-11) raised the imminent danger pay to $225 per month through September 2003. Therefore, the 2003 combat pay exclusion for officers is $5,957.70 per month through September, and $5,882.70 per month for the remainder of the year. Amounts excluded from gross income are not subject to federal income tax.

 

[Dave Bean]

About the tax break....Good !!!!

Hey, these guys are busting their humps and getting shot at while away from their loved ones. They deserve the tax break, it's the least we can do for them.

As for the letters, I'm also inclined to believe that people are homesick...that's perfectly natural. The media is just picking up on the mood and blowing it out of proportion, that's what they do best.

Dave Bean