From: BOBWORN@aol.com
Subject: SNET: Army Releases 'Slave' Soldier To Retirement
Date: 7 Mar 2000 12:48:24 -0500
To: BOBWORN@aol.com


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 Army releases 'slave' soldier to retirement
Does 'indefinite re-enlistment' 
policy equal involuntary servitude? 
The answer is "YES"!!

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By David M. Bresnahan
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com 

A soldier with 20 years service who claimed he was a "slave" of the U.S. Army 
due to its new "indefinite re-enlistment" policy will soon be "free at last." 
"These past few weeks I had been in a deep depression, I felt I had no 
control over my destiny. I had planned my retirement for 20 years, only to 
find out the rules had changed," Sgt. First Class David Gloer told 
WorldNetDaily. 

Serving with the 751st Military Intelligence Battalion, Korea, Gloer says the 
Army tried to use its new indefinite re-enlistment program to prevent him 
from retiring after 20 years of service -- in effect, holding him against his 
will. 

Gloer has a wife and five children, and is looking forward to completing 20 
years of service so he can retire and obtain better employment. 

Gloer has two masters degrees -- one in linguistics and one in computer 
science. He accomplished everything the Army recruitment ads claim, he says, 
but now that he has prepared for a new career the Army did not want to let 
him go. 

The Army did an about-face and reversed its position on Gloer's retirement 
after an article about his situation appeared in the Feb. 10 edition of 
WorldNetDaily. 

"Suddenly everyone on peninsula (Korea) was motivated to get me out of the 
country. They did my orders 'while you wait,' and I fly out on March 13," 
Gloer happily reported to WorldNetDaily. 

Last June, Gloer began paperwork that should have enabled him to retire in 
June 2000, after completing 20 years of service in the Army. He met with 
roadblocks of every kind because of the efforts the Army is making to stem 
the rising tide of departures and low enlistments. 

"Twenty years in the Army, with two advanced degrees, scraping out a living 
for my family and I couldn't even get my commander to recommend approval on 
my normal retirement," said Gloer. 

After many months of carefully following procedures and the proper chain of 
command, Gloer took his problem to congressional representatives, who 
investigated but were told that Gloer was stuck until his commanding officers 
decided to let him go. 

"I had zero support from my chain of command. They were not too happy about 
me getting my retirement approved over their recommendations either," said 
Gloer. 

He said that as a last resort he took his retirement request directly to Army 
Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki, who delegated it to Brig. Gen. Kathryn G. 
Frost, the Army adjutant general. 

"We want to expedite your situation ASAP," Frost told Gloer in a written 
response to his request for help. She told him what forms to provide so she 
could release him from service right away by putting him on leave pending 
final retirement in a few months. She told him to fax his paperwork directly 
to her so she could see that it was processed quickly. 

Gloer says what happened to him has been happening to many soldiers, but most 
are intimidated by their commanders and do not complain publicly. 

Prior to receiving help from Frost, Gloer received orders to leave Korea and 
report to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He said he would then be sent from there to 
Bosnia. 

"Their intent was to ferret me off to Bosnia where I could rot without access 
to the Internet or a phone line," Gloer told WorldNetDaily. 

The indefinite re-enlistment program has caused a great deal of damage to 
morale within the Army, Gloer said, because soldiers no longer have a 
definite date on which they know their term of service will end. 

"The system does condone slavery and blatant abuses that destroy morale and 
the ability to maintain an effective fighting force," said Gloer. 

"My commander, Lt. Col. Jon M. Jones ... is very upset that he isn't getting 
to tell his side of things to the higher-ups," explained Gloer of the 
commander he sidestepped by taking his case to Frost. 

A spokesman in Jones' office said he was tied up in meetings and could not 
provide a statement. 

Gloer was able effectively to get around the bureaucratic system the Army has 
in place, but Frost explained the need to carefully regulate the departure of 
soldiers from their assignments. 

"Departure dates from overseas locations are established as a management tool 
to allow the Army to effectively manage its resources and provide stability 
in Army commands. Decisions have been made with regard to manning the force 
in Korea based on the departure dates of soldiers assigned there. To allow 
exceptions without apparent compelling justification would impact theater 
manning and unit readiness. We just cannot afford such an approach for our 
Army in Korea," explained Frost about the concerns about Army forces and 
normal procedures for retirements. 

Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Garrett, commanding general of the Army's Personnel 
Command, or PERSCOM, explained the new indefinite re-enlistment program in a 
statement issued when it took effect in 1988. 

"It will bolster the professional NCO Corps image while providing a sense of 
security for those soldiers committed to the Army; enhance our Army's 
retention rates; and assure we have a strong backbone to support our national 
military strategy," said Garrett. 

As he was packing to leave Korea, Gloer offered advice to other soldiers 
experiencing similar problems.  
            Sgt. David Gloer and his family  
 

"Document everything and watch your back. When the time is right, don't keep 
quiet, let everyone you can know about what's going on. The Internet provides 
a perfect vehicle to communicate your opinions. If we liken the Army unto a 
POW camp, then the 'tap code' the prisoners use to communicate is definitely 
e-mail," he said. 

He said he would not have been able to retire had it not been for Shinseki 
and Frost. 

"I owe them both my freedom. They exemplify the good leaders that want to do 
the right thing. But there are many others that are only concerned with their 
own careers and will crush anyone that gets in their way. Without the media, 
I would have never been able to get their attention," said Gloer. 

The Gloer family will leave Korea on March 13 and travel first to Raleigh, 
N.C. One of the companies making a job offer to him is in Raleigh, and two 
others are in Europe. The Gloers plan to vacation for a week and then decide 
where their new home will be.

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