Reserve Leaders ‘wine and Dine’ During Visit With Troops

By By Spc. Wes LandrumDesert Voice staff writer

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (March 01, 2008)--The Soldiers were sitting at the table eating the evening meal. The group of six sat there discussing the events of the day when another Soldier walked up to the group.

“Is this seat taken,” Maj. Gen. Robert Pollmann, 88th Regional Readiness Command commanding officer, asked motioning toward the empty seat at the table.

The group immediately rose to their feet but Pollman nodded for them to sit down and continue their meal. The general sat down, looked at his meal of steak and lobster and began eating with his Soldiers.

“You guys eat better here than we do back in the States,” the general joked with the Soldiers. “This looks really delicious.”

Pollman and his command sergeant major, John Vacho, were members of a party of Army Reserve leaders that traveled to the Middle East to talk with Soldiers about life in U. S. Army Central area of operations. Spc. Justin J. Mianecki, an ammunition transport

specialist with the 395th Ordnance Company said the topics of conversation varied from topics here to topics back at home.

“We discussed the nature of our jobs, everyone in the unit, training that we did prior to or while we were here,” the Green Bay, Wisc., native said. “We even talked about the Packers and how, as a Vikings fan, he was happy to see Green Bay do well this year.”

After dinner and a conversation, Pollmann addressed the crowd of more than 75. During the speech, Pollmann told the crowd that he and Vacho were very proud of the job that the unit has performed. The general then tackled an issue facing the reserve members – transformation.

Pollmann continued saying transformation was necessary because it will set up operational functional commands, such as The Enginering Command and The Military Police Command. The units will be able to give more Soldiers time in their specialties.

“Often guys, you have a Soldier who will bounce between different units and not get to do his or her job,” Pollmann said. “Then that person gets deployed and is asked to go build a bridge and they can’t because they have not had to do that job for 10 or 15 years.

“You will have a lot to offer any combatant commander in this theater,” the general continued. “They’ll know the people coming from the Army Reserve are very skillfully trained and they’ve had a lot of practice time in their MOS.”

Spc. David M. Hallmark, a mechanic with the 395th Ordnance Company, said eating dinner with the general and sergeant major was intimidating at first but he gradually became comfortable with the two leaders.

“It’s because he’s a pretty high rank and as a lower enlisted, it can seem a little overwhelming,” he said. “You aren’t really scared of him asking questions but you are like ‘Please don’t ask me that.’”

Pollmann concluded his talk by telling the unit that he was proud of the unit for the job they’re doing in Kuwait. He said the unit’s professionalism shows in everything they do and it did not matter if they were reservist or not.

“You look at that patch over your heart and it says U.S. Army on it. That’s because we’re apart of a bigger team. A team that’s doing a fantastic job for our country,” the general told the Soldiers. “It does not matter if we’re active component or reserve

component – we are all one team fighting one fight.”

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The experiences of Deploying Reservists is quite different than that of Active Component soldiers.

Monday, April 7, 2008 09:15 am

A call comes in on our 1-800-ARMYREServe phone line from a USAR Family who needs help and has called our Army Reserve Association Field Support Services office.

Colonel (Ret.) Mike Lind answers the phone.  After a compassion discussion with a Reservits wife, he asked her if she could also Email him the situation.  She said: Yes! She could!

As a part of our on-going efforts to help explain what Citizen soldier face, and what is happened to this Reserve family, and while we acknowledge this is not the rule, it is nevertheless occurring more and more frequently.

Again, while deployment strains are a common part of all active componet soldiers and their families lives, everyone needs to understand that Citizen Soldiers face this added level of strain and fragmentation of every dimension of their lives and livelihoods as detailed here. This is unique to the Reservist - Citizen soldier - Warrior Citizen. Active duty soldiers don't face this!

Monday, April 7, 2008 10:03 am

First of all, let me thank you again for taking the time to be concerned about this matter, I wasn't sure that there was any help to be had.  Now to the facts and the problem.

I am the wife of SPC Karsten Kemrite, who is a member of the USAR 428th Trans Co. (Hannibal, MO).  My husband has been a member of the reserves for 6 years and has already served one tour in Iraq, and was scheduled to go into IRR this month.

At the very beginning of February his unit was notified that they have been stop lost and were being attached to the 129th HET Co, scheduled to leave for training in April.  Then they were told in March that everyone would not be going, and they would be alerted as such.  So when April finally rolled around, the numbers had been shaved down to who everyone who believed they were definitely going.

The following is the way that we understood the flow of events would be happening, as we were told last Sunday (March 30) at the family/soldier activation meeting (where nothing was said about an active list and a waiting list, we all believed we were considered activated and going):

April 1-5   Finalizing paper work with the 129th in New Century, Kansas

April 6-18 HET Academy at Ft. Riley

April 18-May 15 AT training @ Ft Riley

(No pay until last day of AT- families already going a month with out soldier financial support)

May 16/17 Farwell Ceremonies at New Century

May 17-19 2 day leave (transport to and from by families)

May 19-July 1-8?  Supposedly Active duty MOB at Camp Atterbury Soldiers were to leave sometime between July 1-8, and just before deployment to Kuwait they are to have a 4 day leave within 50 miles of camp.

This we were told, and in good faith believed.  The Army also made a point of telling the soldiers that they needed to drop civilian insurance through their employers because (our Cobra coverage is expensive) and they would be getting Tri-Care for free.  All of the soldiers present and their families were informed that Tri-Care would be post dated 30 days from their active duty orders, which would have put Tri-Care active around mid-April.

This, to the best of my knowledge, is what has transpired since the above informational meeting.  Upon arrival in New Century KS however, my husband, and several other soldiers, were told that they were not going to Iraq/Kuwait.

They were told that there were two lists - an A list and a B list.  The A list is comprised of soldiers who are extras, to be put into active duty should the soldiers on the B list (active duty and going) fall out for any reason or just not make the cut.  So these soldiers (Reservist's) are in limbo!  They may go, or they may not but they won't know for sure until July.  In the mean time, since they are not technically going at this point, soldiers on the A list will not be on active duty orders when they arrive at (Camp) Atterbury.  And because they will not have active duty orders, even though they are going through the entire MOB process, they are being denied Tri-Care for their dependents, many of whom have already lost or are losing their civilian insurance coverage.

If it was a matter of simply the spouses, it would not be as hard of in issue, but many children are also involved.  I myself have my own insurance coverage, so am fairly unaffected.  However, my 5 month old daughter (who has asthma and already has to see specialists) was on her father's insurance (Reservist SPC Femrite), so we will loose coverage at the end of April.

The above I know to be fact.   I am guessing, the soldiers on the A list will have some sort of AT orders in place of the B lists' active duty orders.  I am assuming that because they are AT type orders that they will not get paid until it is over (the others will be paid every 2 weeks once they hit Atterbury).  I am also afraid that because they are AT type orders they will be denied the BAH pay for their families.

Words cannot begin to express my outrage and anxiety over this matter, for my family and the others involved.  These soldiers (many who have already served in Iraq once) have been ripped from their families, their jobs, their children, and their lives. 

Many of these soldiers who are on this "wait" list have had their lives turned upside down, and many already have or will miss important life events, all to be told that they MIGHT be coming home in July.  In the meantime they are just to be toyed with like yo-yo?s by the system that many have been loyally serving for years.

I wish the leaders who have made these decisions could have stood in my place as we watched are loved ones loading the bus to leave for training.  I wish they could have seen the tears and listened as one little boy screamed for his father because he didn?t understand (another family also affected by this A list).  And, as an added bonus....the icing on the cake.... the soldiers were just told that their own home unit, the rest of the 428th has been stop lost as well.  They now expect to also go to Iraq within the next year.

So most of these soldiers are going to go through the entire process of MOB with the 129th only to get sent home for a month or two and go through the process again. 

I have often heard the Army boast of the care they take of the reservist and their families, and acknowledge the fact that the families are the backbone of the "Civilian Soldiers".  While I felt valued as a part of my husband's team during the first deployment, I feel very strongly that several soldiers and their families are being treated like pawns during this deployment process.  If we need them, great!  Their trained will take them, if not send them back to the mess of their lives that we (the Army) created.

Thank you again for taking the time to be concerned in this matter.  I know that the soldiers and the families of the 428th will be grateful for any aide that we can receive in this matter, especially as it concerns insurance coverage.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.  Thank you again, from all the families.
Sarah Femrite
(A Reservits wife)

At this time, Colonel (Ret.) Mike Lind calls USARC and OCAR with a coordinating call to ARA Life Member CSM LeRoy Haugland with the 416th ENCOM, right after receiving this request for help.

By that afternoon, this family had been contacted.

Our call back to the USARC revealed they had immediately called their family support personnel.

Saturday, 12 April 08,  8:32 pm (Following additional phone discussion with Sarah Femrite.  The follow-up Email is received.)

Dear Colonel Lind,
 
A member of the 89th RACC went to Ft Riley to speak to my husband on Wednesday.  From what he (Will Scott, 89th RACC) has said to me since this meeting, the orders for these particular Reservists are going to be altered to help with the pay situation and the tri-care situation.  Once the orders are altered the soldiers should be getting paid every two weeks and have Tri-care active in retrospect to April 6.  I don't know all the details yet, and my Husband said that everything has not been processed yet

through his chain of command.  Though he did say that the new orders were mentioned yesterday, but not the tri-care or the rest.  It is now a relatively moot point for my family as my husband has been transferred to the other list.  But I am very excited for all of the other families affected by this change.
 
Again, it looks as if the ball is definitely rolling, though as of last night most of what the 89th told me has not been confirmed on my husband's level, though I do understand that all of the processes take some time.  I plan to wait until next Friday to see how things are coming, and then call the 89th for an update.  I am hoping that the pay dates get changed so the families are not having to go as long in between pay dates.  I think that change is supposed to affect all the soldiers, not just those on the wait list.  As I hear more I will be very happy to let you know.
 
Thank you again for all the wonderful work you have done for the families of the 428th.  My husband and I would like to thank you in person, if we may.  On May 17, there is a farewell ceremony planned in New Century, before the soldiers leave for Camp Atterbury.  We would be honored if you would attend.  Thank you again for all that you have done for the families.
 Sarah Femrite

Colonel Lind Emails back to Sarah Femrite Sun, April 13, 2008 10:47 pm this follow-on Email.

Hi Sarah,
It is all sounding better than when you first called and spoke with me.  But you say Karsten's status has now changed?  Yes, please keep us posted on what's actually happening with Karsten at his unit level.  And yes, after checking our schedules it looks

like I could be at the 17 May send off, and would enjoy meeting you both as well.  Let me know when you hear what time of day and exactly where it will take place.  I know that New Century Kansas is near the USAR Aviation unit at the Olathe airport, near Gardner, KS off I-35 at Exit 207.
 
We would be coming up from just south of Wichita, KS on I-35.
 
Okay! Good - so far.  Keep me posted.
Colonel Lind
Army Reserve Association,
Director of Field Support Services

Editors Note:  We will continue to follow this and bring you updates.  If you are aware of other instances such as this, please share them with us.  We all what this to work favorably for all concerned. COLLIND@armyreserve.org
 
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