Q: Mr. Secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Kronolog (sp). I’m the Inspector General for the 116th Brigade Combat team. We’re helping – or trying to help about 150 soldiers get their contingency travel pay. We’ve gone through the chain of command; we’ve tried IG channels. These soldiers have gone – some since July – without getting travel pay. Thousands of dollars, they’re having creditors call them at home, call their spouses at home, threatening collection action. We have a big problem. There seems to be a problem with the Defense Finance Accounting Service. Can you help us to understand that problem, Mr. Secretary or even better, can you point us to a resource that will help us get these soldiers paid? [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: Can someone here get the details of the unit he’s talking about? That’s just not right. Folks have earned money and are due money, ought to be able to get the money and they ought not to have to put their families under stress while they’re waiting for the money. Thank you. [Applause] We’ll take a note and see what we can do. Yes, sir.
See what we can do? Try, "My first priority will be making sure all of you are paid on time and compensated for all outstanding back pay -- and as a matter of fact, you'll all get raises to match the salaries of the well-paid contractors from Halliburton. After all, we lied to you guys so it's the least we can do."
Click here to ask Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz if they get paid on time. Call Zack E. Gaddy (real name) Director of the Defense Finance & Accounting Service at (703)607-0122 and ask him. Or even better, call David J. Lesar, CEO of Halliburton, at (713)759-2600 and ask if he has to beg for his checks.