For the first time since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, active- duty members of the military are asking Members of Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and bring American soldiers home.
This article states that sixty-five active duty troops have filed Appeals of Redress under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.
I feel it is notable that they refer to the current military status as an "occupation" for the purpose of forming their complaints:
This is a short wire so I'll flesh it out a bit with additional information about the Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act (DOD Directive 7050.6).
According to the information on the United States Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General the protections extend to "military members, nonappropriated fund employees and Defense contractor employees."
The DODIG Directorate for Military Reprisal Investigations, has the primary authority and responsibility to conduct investigations concerning allegations of reprisal against military members, nonappropriated fund employees and Defense contractor employees.
Military Members now have the option of directly contacting their Military Department Inspector General or reporting their complaints to the DODIG Directorate for Military Reprisal Investigations through the Defense Hotline.
Is this an indication that the floodgates are opening?
While sixty-five is a relevantly small number it is certainly significant as far as whistleblowing actions are concerned.
Having just viewed Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers I cannot help but wonder about the nature of their case as presented to Congress. Servicemen did not hesitate to speak their mind about the "outsourcing" of the jobs for which they were trained to Halliburton, the lack of a chain of command when CACI and Blackwater mercenaries were brought into the prisoner system. They also seemed extremely aware of the inflated costs associated with the provision of such basic services as laundry under the contracting arrangement.
Forgive the paucity of information but I definitely felt this was noteworthy. Watch the news for additional information after the scheduled news conference this Wednesday.
And kudos to those men and women who felt that this military action warranted their continued involvement under "whistleblower" protections. Having seen how little protection Bunnatine H. Greenhouse received following her complaint about Halliburton I consider this continued proof of their bravery and patriotism.
They'll join the long list of men of women who have spoken up when they feel something is not only wrong but against the best interests of this country.
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