Army cuts off pay for 27 Alaska WWII vets

[unhappycamper]

Army cuts off pay for 27 Alaska WWII vets
By Rachel D’Oro - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 22, 2009 19:22:04 EST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Army is terminating retirement credit for time served in a largely Native militia formed to guard the territory of Alaska from the threat of Japanese attack during World War II.

A state veterans officer says the change means 27 surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard — most in their 80s and long retired — will lose as much as $557 in monthly retirement pay. The pay claims of 37 others have been suspended.

The action comes almost a decade after Congress passed a law qualifying time served in the unpaid guard as active federal service. The Army agreed in 2004 to grant official military discharge certificates to members or their survivors.

Army officials did not immediately comment.

But according to Jerry Beale of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Army says the law has no provision for service credit for the volunteer guard, thus does not provide retirement pay.


Article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_alaskavets_pay_012209/%2e