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sgtdub

Monday, May 14, 2007

14 May 2007, RANT ALERT! IT AIN'T PRETTY!
I'm having a bad day. Now before you worry, everything is fine here. I'm just pissed-off with our government at the moment. I'm taking it from two separate fronts from our own people. Some of you may know that last May we had to send much of our personal belonging by shipping containers by sea to Pakistan then by local contracted drivers to our base. Well, I realize that on "paper" Pakistan is our ally, I realize that "local" contractors from Pakistan to Kabul is the way to ship, but really, I don't trust either one any more than anyone else does. So, my personal items were stolen in transit. Did the contractor get his contract taken away? I doubt it. What did arrive finally got here in September while I was on leave. Then I have to wait this last 8 months for more government people to finalize all the paperwork. Now, I try to be as honest as possible and I gave fair assessments for the laptop and flat screen monitor as well as the other big ticket items the government allowed to be stolen while in their transportation mode. I finally get a letter stating that they have determined that my property is substantially worth much less than what I research to replace said items. This got my blood pressure up just a bit. On to today.
I have been working as the OPS NCO for about three weeks out of the last 15 months of this deployment. The OPS 1SG left in the last week of April to redeploy back home. I signed for all the equipment in the office. Well, going through the receipts I discover there are suppose to be "3" projectors, which for the last 12 months in country I have only ever seen 2. Now, they want me to pay for it. HA! Bring it on! They slapped me in the face with me having to wait 8months and then tell me you are only going to pay me a fraction of the cost due to wear and tear my computer might have suffered, and the monitor was 3 months old when I entrusted it to you. Now you think you are going to charge me "full price" for a projector that I've never seen. B.S. My suggestion would be you write it off, since it's supposedly been in the country for the last two years, it's not worth anything, but since we deal in fractions, I'll give you $50 for it. Where do I need to send the check?

My apologies to those reading today, I just needed to write this down, as I plan to send something similar to the powers that be. I hope to be my more pleasant self tomorrow.
Be safe and have a great day.

14 comments:

MrsDub said...

You think you're mad! I dare them to try to make us pay for that projector, but I wouldn't put it past them to just withhold our check to get their money. This is an example of the slogan "An Army of One" - it's us against them. I'm so glad we're making the sacrifice to serve our country, and then we end up getting screwed by our own people. Is there room on that soapbox for both of us?

Ron Simpson said...

That kind of treatment makes me mad for ya!

Anonymous said...

That's just not right!!! Rant on Sgtdubb!! I have become aware of other problem areas as our heroes return home and it just makes me so mad me about all the snafu's that occur,and some that profoundly affect the lives of those serving our country. Hope you have a better day SgtDubb and keep your money in your pocket...they probably sold that projector and used the money to buy the paper it took to notify you.

Maryfly said...

Vent all you want SGT, it's your right! Sorry you have to deal with that garbage. Hang in there and stay safe.

Sandee said...

Yep, sounds like the government to me. You are feeling the red-tape that is choking us all to death. They always win! Good luck with this Sgt...

Stay safe and God bless.

David said...

Doesn't sound like they'd be able to get their act together to collect on any money they charged you anyway. Some thanks, eh?

Anonymous said...

sheez..every comment is so kind and I'm of the mind that in this instance it's hard not to let the *f word fly...sorry 'bout that...
I take it this site is for children,too, so I'll tone it down...
this world is basesd on rock, paper, scissors..and shredders...I'm a shredder...
think positive thoughts...like...
"they'll get their's one of these days..."
that'll work...

MrsDub said...

Believe me, the military knows how to get their money. They withhold the money from your paycheck and then make you fight to get it back. We were assessed a big fee when SgtDub couldn't produce some item during an inspection. They wasted no time in getting their money. And apparently their stuff doesn't depreciate like ours does!

Anonymous said...

Come on now Sarge, I think that projector is probably in your room somewhere and you have been tripping over it for approximately 8 months or so and you just have figured out quite what that is that you are tripping over. Stay safe and see ya when you get home.

Linda said...

Sounds like typical Governmental BullSh@t to me and you certainly have the right to rant right here on your very own blog.

Hope you feel better tomorrow but if not, feel free to rant again!

Lee Ann aka Dixie said...

Calm down, breath .... feel better???? Now you can tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine... LOL

You have the right to rant all you want. It's a free country ya know... Freedom of Speech....

Haole Wahine said...

on the lemon stand there is a link to a great game of Military Family Poker ongoing, with military families raising the ante of military murphey's law stories. Along that same vein -- The huge cargo crates arrived in Washington looking in great shape after the trip from Hawaii. I dutifully, we were finally civilians after all, checked off everything on the movers packing list. Last load in, and there are 2 pages of things that were not checked. One of the guys said, we noticed the crate count was off by one, but thought maybe they had repacked them. I start looking at the list of things, and I have not idea what they are--certainily nothing I'd never owned. I said, somebody must have just attached two pages of somebody else's shipment. they won't let me sign off, and soon a manager type guy (remember we are civilians now), shows up and insists that the unchecked things must be put in as missing and tracked down. do what you want, I never owned any of that stuff. He calls everyother day for over a week. I can't put a value on what i had never owned! finally, he says let's go over to Penny's and you pick out one of everything that's on the list, and finally i agree just to get rid of him. takes 4 hours, but he got his values. then the next day, Penny's calls to set up a delivery time. That is how I got a new bedroom suite, new living room furniture, desk, and assorted weird lamps. There is a God, and he has a special angel for military families.

Debbie said...

Vent away! You deserve it!

just me said...

Hope you feel better now.