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NATO'S U.S. FORCES IN KOSOVO MAY LOSE BENEFITS
OF
COMBAT STATUS -- DoD officials are considering
a proposal
to downgrade the combat status of U.S. forces
in Kosovo.
Story here...
http://www.sfgate.com/
cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/
04/MNG16OF7G81.DTL
Story below:
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NATO's U.S. forces in Kosovo may lose benefits
of combat status
Josh White, Washington Post
Washington -- Top Defense Department officials are considering a
proposal to downgrade the combat status of U.S. forces participating in
the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, a decision that could cause the
1,500 U.S. soldiers currently deployed there to lose hundreds or even
thousands of dollars each month in tax benefits and combat pay.
Such a decision, expected within the next month, would indicate that
Pentagon officials do not believe Kosovo is still a combat zone, despite
rising tensions in the Balkans over Kosovo's continuing bid for
independence and frequent U.S. missions that involve dangerous
interdictions of smuggling rings, raids on armed extremist groups, and
encounters with improvised bombs.
It would also mean that hundreds of National Guardsmen and reservists
would lose a coveted tax exclusion that allows them to earn their pay
tax-free while tacking on hundreds more in combat pay. They would also
lose government-funded flights to the United States when they take
leave.
The U.S. mission that began in 1999 now receives little attention amid
the worsening wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In recent interviews,
soldiers and officers with the Virginia Army National Guard in Kosovo
said they put their lives on the line every day as part of the Kosovo
Force, or KFOR -- and believe they deserve the benefits of combat pay.
"I stand to lose a decent chunk of money, and it's hard to believe that
if that came through we'd get paid the same amount as someone who gets
to go home to their wife and kids every day, gets to have a beer with
dinner, and we're away for a year and a half," said Cpl. Will Larsen,
22, of Fairfax, Va., an assistant infantry squad leader. "There are a
lot of people back home who don't even know we're here. I just don't
want them to forget about us."
Defense officials said all areas designated as combat zones are under a
periodic review, and early policy recommendations from the Pentagon are
that all areas in the Balkans -- designated as a combat zone under
presidential order since March 24, 1999 -- be downgraded because of
improved security. Top military officers in Europe have officially
disagreed, but they have been told the change could come as early as
April 1.
"Combat Zone Tax Exclusion and Imminent Danger Pay are both under review
for all designated areas," Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman,
said in an e-mail. "The Department will not comment beyond that until
the reviews are complete."
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Larry Scott --
