Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
by Sgt. 1st Class Connie E. Dickey WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 15, 1999) - Soldiers will
soon
get an American flag upon retirement.
Congress authorized the flags in the FY99 Defense Authorization
Act
and directed service secretaries to present a U.S. flag to service
members
upon retirement from the military, but it did not allocate funds for
payment
of the flags.
All soldiers who have retired since Oct. 1, 1998, will be
eligible
to receive a flag, according to an Army spokesman, since that was the
effective date of the Defense Authorization Act.
Last October the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps directed
local
commands to distribute the flags and pay for the flags from their
operating
budgets, but the Army took no action.
Several weeks ago complaints from many retirees began arriving
at
the Department of the Army through messages to the sergeant major of the
Army and other Army officials.
Gary Smith, chief of Army Retirement Services, said he has
talked
with Lt. Gen. David Ohle, deputy chief of staff for personnel, and a
draft
policy is in the works now.
"We would like for the transition points to take the
responsibility
of distributing the flags at local commands," Smith said, but no final
decision has been made yet on who will be directed to do that. He said
he
hopes to have the policy ready for approval by mid-August.
"We'll take into consideration the people who have not gotten
flags
so far," Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Guy Shields, said. He said in the
meantime, retirees should make it known to retirement services they want
a
flag.
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
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