Readers of Tom Philpott's Military Update column sound off.

Strings Attached To Early Reserve Retirement Rules

I am a reserve member as well as an Air Reserve Technician. Not only is the reserve retirement system out of step with current uses of reserve forces, the bill signed by President Bush on Jan. 28, 2008, allowing a reduction in retirement age based on reserve deployments after that date, was a slap in the face to all Guard members and Reservists.

The bill originally was intended to reward those reserve component members for time spent mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001. Not only did the final bill not do that, but Congress delayed passage and President Bush delayed signing the bill for a total of four months beyond the new fiscal year. That served to lop off more time from being counted for those serving.

Then we find out that time is counted only on a fiscal year basis and only for 90 days at a time. The trouble is we do not deploy in even quarterly segments. As a result, I have many members who lose time toward early retirement each year.

For instance, if a member started a five-month tour on Aug. 1, he would get zero credit toward early retirement for those months because he would not have 90 days in any fiscal year. Or consider a member who served eight months and three weeks in a fiscal year. He could only get credit for six months. The remaining two months, three weeks would not count toward lowering age at retirement.

Therefore a statement like this from one of your recent columns is inaccurate: "For every 90 consecutive days they spend mobilized, reservists will see the start date for annuities cut by three months."

To be correct you should also state that the 90 days applies only to aggregate time in any fiscal year, a very important distinction.

DAN THOMPSON
Chief Master Sergeant
McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

You're right and I regret that I didn't write more clearly on this issue. Draft regulations published by the Department of Defense to implement the early reserve retirement provision explain that each cumulative 90 days of qualifying active duty time lowers a member's start date for reserve retirement by three months from age 60 -- but only if the 90 days are served in a fiscal year.

The law is unfair on several counts. Service associations are urging Congress to improve this early retirement law by, at a minimum, making it retroactive for deployments back to 9/11 and by removing the onerous fiscal year requirement. – Tom Philpott

I concur with the reserve component chiefs' endorsement to lower the retirement age for reservists who serve beyond 20 years. It's right on target! Everyone should urge Congress to support this measure.

After 33 years of service, both active and reserve, I have no benefits to show for it yet.

KAREN BARRETT
Lieutenant Colonel, USAFR-Ret.
Via e-mail

I'm a Reservist nearing 24 years of service. There should be a better retirement plan. I was activated from 2003 until late 2005, which if the early retirement law applied back to 9/11 would give me a good two-and-a-half-years off my retirement start date. I think I deserve it, being away from my family for that time. I have been deployed in the past year for which I will get 90 days. But I feel the previous mobilization time should count too.

We are having more and more trouble keeping younger folks in service. They are in for four years and then gone. We do get folks who didn't want to stay on active duty and give the Reserves a try. But after their enlistment is up they are getting out. They don't want to be deployed for so long; that's why they left active duty.

So Congress needs to expedite passage of a retirement plan we all can feel good about. I don't want to be like one of our folks who did 30 years in the reserves, retired at age 60 and keeled over from a heart attack. He never got to see his retirement.

KEVIN ANDERSON
Via e-mail

The article on reserve retirement was excellent. A lot of people have been trying to do the right thing. The powers that be, however, always find a way to shut it down.

I enlisted in 1979, served three years' active and then remained in the Reserve. I was mobilized in January 2002, extended my time and was released from active duty in November 2003. I retired after 26 years but was not given the opportunity to draw retired pay before age 60.

The military is treating the Guard and Reserve and the active duty military the same, except when it comes to retirement and other benefits. We serve alongside active duty, do the same jobs, and have the same duties, same pay and same hardships. Why can't we get the same benefits?

MICHAEL LYDEN
Information Systems Technician First Class, USNR-Ret.

Paternity Leave

My wife and I are having a baby on 5 July 2009. Has non-chargeable leave for military dad's been approved by the government, and if so, where could I reference this to my command?

KENNETH DAVIS
Via e-mail

A provision on the new paternity leave benefit of 10 days will be included in a reissued DoD Instruction 1327.06, Leave and Liberty Procedures. The revised regulation is in final coordination. Once it is finalized, the services will use it to develop implementation guidance and notify units.

The draft policy and law make it mandatory that paternity leave be offered to the qualifying member. But the services and unit commanders will have discretion on when to grant the leave based on mission, deployment scheduled and other command priorities.

The law states that the new category of "administrative absence" or paternity leave is to be effective retroactive to Oct. 14, 2008, the date that it was signed into law. -T.P.

Credit Union Tax

Once again, those who have done a good job avoiding risk and being
prudent will have the fruit of their efforts taken from them by those who were imprudent and took high risk. Does this sound like America or France?

My answer is, "No thank you!" Don't use my money.

RICHARD HOEMAN
Commander, USN-Ret.

Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Write to Military Forum, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA 20120-1111, send e-mail to militaryforum@aol.com or visit www.militaryupdate.com.