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<DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV class=timestamp>From: <EM>New York Times</EM></DIV>
<DIV class=timestamp> </DIV>
<DIV class=timestamp>October 3, 2005</DIV>
<DIV class=kicker></DIV>
<H1><NYT_HEADLINE version="1.0" type=" ">Reimbursement Program for Troops Stalls
</NYT_HEADLINE></H1><NYT_BYLINE version="1.0" type=" ">
<DIV class=byline>By JOHN FILES</DIV></NYT_BYLINE><NYT_TEXT>
<DIV id=articleBody>
<P>WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 - <FONT color=#0000ff>The Pentagon has not completed
guidelines for allowing soldiers, their families and charities to be reimbursed
for some combat equipment they bought for use in </FONT><A
title="More news and information about Iraq."
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html?inline=nyt-geo">Iraq</A><FONT
color=#0000ff> and </FONT><A
title="More news and information about Afghanistan."
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/afghanistan/index.html?inline=nyt-geo">Afghanistan</A><FONT
color=#0000ff>, a year after the passage of legislation calling for such a
program.</FONT></P>
<P>The measure, which allows for groups and individuals to make claims of up to
$1,100, called for the Department of Defense to set rules for a reimbursement
program by February 2005. </P>
<P>The sponsor of the original legislation, Senator Christopher J. Dodd,
Democrat of <A title="More news and information about Connecticut."
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessions/connecticut/index.html?inline=nyt-geo"><FONT
color=#000066>Connecticut</FONT></A>, says he plans to introduce an amendment to
a defense bill this week to take authority for the program from Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and give it to military commanders in the
field.</P>
<P><FONT color=#0000ff>"We should not be sending our young men and women into
harm's way less than as well prepared as their nation can prepare them and
provide them with the kind of protection they deserve," Mr. Dodd said. "The
Pentagon has never acted on this legislation despite the fact that it is the law
of the land."</FONT></P>
<P>"It has been frustrating," he said. "And the problem still persists."</P>
<P>On Friday, a Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, said in an e-mail
message that Defense Department officials were "in the final stages of putting a
reimbursement program together and it is expected to be operating soon." Colonel
Krenke declined to discuss a reason for the delay.</P>
<P>Army surveys have shown that infantry members spend hundreds of dollars of
their own money each year on gloves, boots, flashlights and other tools used in
combat. </P>
<P>The reimbursement program, to be open to troops in combat zones, would cover
spending on health, safety and protective equipment - items like body and
vehicle armor, special hydration gear, global positioning devices and advanced
combat helmets. </P>
<P>Some troops in Iraq have complained that equipment is either lacking or worn,
and that they sometimes do not have the necessary gear to protect them from
roadside bombs and snipers. </P>
<P>Sgt. Todd B. Bowers, a Marine Corps reservist attending George Washington
University here, has served two tours in Iraq. Sergeant Bowers said a rifle
scope and goggles that his father bought for him saved his sight when he was
shot in the face by a sniper last October. Mr. Bowers spent about $900 for the
equipment. </P>
<P>"There are a lot of people serving in the military who do not have the income
to pay for some equipment," he said in a telephone interview. "It is not fair
that those who have the money can be better prepared than others."</P>
<P>Officials in the Defense Department initially opposed the program last year,
arguing that it would be a financial burden and could undermine the
accountability and effectiveness of equipment used in combat.</P>
<P>The Army has its own program, called the Rapid Fielding Initiative, to
develop and outfit soldiers with the most modern equipment available.</P>
<P>Michael P. Kline, a retired master sergeant who is executive director of the
Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the <A
title="More news and information about United States."
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/unitedstates/index.html?inline=nyt-geo"><FONT
color=#000066>United States</FONT></A>, said families and charities, and
soldiers themselves, had had to fulfill the military obligation to provide
proper combat equipment.</P>
<P>"National Guard and reservists have been especially adversely impacted by the
Pentagon's decision not to move this program forward," Sergeant Kline said. "Due
to equipment shortages in the Guard, these soldiers spend a lot of money out of
pocket. These patriotic men and women deserve to have their expenses
reimbursed." </P></DIV></NYT_TEXT><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>