Great myspace post! -- The American Dream Pageant Fan Club

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Subject: Great myspace post!

Author:
southernbelle

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Date Posted: 19:41:57 08/15/08 Fri

I have to share this MySpace post from my friend Jaye Shotts your Alabama queen. I love this girl!!
American Dream has some great state queens! Keep up the good work!

A couple of weeks ago I was at the airport picking up Trey from his summer vacation with his dad. I was waiting in line to get a gate pass and saw a soldier at the ticket counter waiting to put his bags on the scale, he had his wife and three small children the oldest one was maybe 6 and a little baby. The lady at the counter told him his bags were over the weight limit and he needed to pay an extra $100 to be able to take everything with him. She assured him that the Army would reimbursed the money once he got to Iraq. He told her he didn't have the money so he was there with his family getting things out of his bags figuring what to take. Of course he had to take his GI stuff but the rest were personal items. I almost broke down crying there in line when he was taking out a framed wedding picture and a stuffed animal and handed it to his wife. Was this really necessary?? Really. This man was going to war, you can tell his wife had been crying and he was trying to fight the tears. I understand the airline and their "policies" but can we make an exception here?? I wish I would've had the money myself and just given to him.

Ok this is when my sadness turned to anger. So I get to the counter and the lady at the counter was saying that she didn't see what the "big deal was" it was just $100 and he was going to get it back. Another lady who was angry that she had to wait in line while he opened his bags started saying that she was tired of the military getting special treatment "I mean they already have free medical and housing" WHAT!!!!??? Are you kidding me!! Special treatment?? I'm sorry but the last thing this family needed was more stress on that day. The lady that made the comment of housing and medical had this very nice Coach bag so she probably doesn't have a clue about the financial hardships our service members face. Yes, "free" medical (sometimes) and it's not the best. Try to make a same day appointment for a sick child in a military clinic
you almost need an act from Congress. And yes free housing. I know the Army have made an attempt to improve housing but it's still not the best. Back in 1997 our was was condemmed while we were STILL LIVING there. So much for that.

I talked for a little bit to the wife while we both waited and found out that he's an E4 (a Specialist) been in the Army for 5 years and this was his 3rd tour to Iraq. He joined to be able to go to college and have a better life. She said that they had the $100 to pay for the bag but they needed it for gas because they lived 200 miles from the Birmingham airport. Man she broke my heart! Can you imagine having to decide to not take your little comforts from home to war because your family needs it to pay for gas to head back home without you because your going to WAR. That's what made me so mad! People are quick to remebmer soldiers and their families during the holidays but what about the rest of the year. What about remembring them when the spouse is left behind usually in a state where she has no family near by. She's left to be mom and dad to children, to be able to strech the paycheck her husband makes and live with the constant fear that the few moments they spent at the airport are the last moments they spent together, Sorry for being so morbid but this is the truth. Military families are suffering, they don't need to fill out yet another form to wait for the military to pay them back. And believe me it takes forever to get that money back. Drive around a military base, right outside you will see plenty of pay day loans places. Why?? Because they cannot afford to take care of their families economical needs while they're out there protecting OUR families. Most of the enlisted members have to get a second job to be able to feed their families. A second job as in another job other than protecting our freedom! Anyone else see a problem with that??

I see something horribly worng when a soldier has to pay extra to take his things to a place he/she probably doesn't even want to go. And I guess I'm not the only one because this morning they were talking about this same issue on CNN. Maybe something will change in the meantime please pass this along, put it in your own words, get mad get really mad. Put your self in their shoes and think about how YOU would feel if you were about to spend almost two years away from the ones you love and you couldn't carry their picure with you...

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