By Steven O'Hern, Reader Advisory Panel 2008
As a retired Air Force officer and an Iraq War vet, I am disgusted and embarrassed about two stories showing how our tax dollars are wasted and the safety of troops in Iraq is jeopardized.
Air Force generals have spent $7.6 million to design and build four "comfort capsules" to be used on planes ferrying general officers and other VIPs. The Washington Post reported several generals have participated in the design of small capsules that have two rooms equipped with beds, leather swivel seats, a couch, a table, a 37-inch flat-screen monitor with stereo speakers, and a full-length mirror. The capsules are loaded onto cargo planes when general officers and VIPs travel on transport planes.
Most travelers in military cargo planes ride in seats that look like they were salvaged from old airliners or, on C-130s, sit in fold-out benchs constructed from canvas web and aluminum rods. The generals even used Global War on Terrorism funds to pay to change the color of the leather from brown to Air Force blue.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, troops are risking death or injury from electrical shock and fires caused by showers and other facilities improperly built or maintained by KBR (which was a Halliburton subsidiary until 2007) that has billed our government billions of dollars for logistical support. In addition to the thirteen troops electrocuted that the Defense Department already reported, the New York Times has reported a "systemic problem" with the electrical wiring in military facilities. In a single six month period (August 2006-January 2007) 283 electrical fires destroyed or damaged military facilities in Iraq, including the countries largest dining hall. At least two military personnel have died in electrical-caused fires.
The Defense Department elected to rely on civilian contractors for the bulk of the logistical support in Iraq. But it failed to adequately supervise those contractors in nearly every activity conducted. Our taxdollars have enriched private corporations and their owners but our troops have not received the benefit for which we paid.
Of course. How silly to expect generals to sit on anything other than blue leather while our soldiers sleep on dirt. We mustn't forget our place--or our priorities.