Sunday, October 18, 2009

DFAS Fight Follow-up

Thank you all who have responded in the comments to my previous posts about my ongoing fight with DFAS. The current status is this.... I have exhausted the appeals through my Congressmen and Senators. I placed an appeal directly to DFAS using dd form 2789 (google it) and am waiting to hear back. The process, they claim, can take 90 days or more and I am reaching that limit. I have little hope that they will see my plea. I truly think that with the deployment cycles as they are and the ever-growing divorce rates among military personnel that there would either be a stronger enforcement of UCMJ for infidelity (it is currently on the books but hardly enforced unless it is a CYA move to avoid an EO complaint) or create a new Hardship code for us honorable soldiers that find ourselves in an impossible situation by no fault of our own.

I propose that maybe we should band together and start a grassroots movement to make this issue prominent. The problem is too pervasive and has gone unaddressed too long. The end result is that we get victimized twice, once by the home-wrecking spouse and then by the branch of the military we've loved so much.

I have contacted lawyers but they are either afraid to take a case against the government or flatly assholes with no concern for anything but they pay. Pats on the back are free thanks for what I (we've) done for this country, but stepping up and helping is too much for these people. Maybe we can send a Brigade of lawyers to Afghanistan for a rotation, then things may change here.

Contact me if there is any interest in forming some advocacy / action group or if I can help in any way.

Dean