“What happens to the average service member during a government shutdown? Many feel betrayed, hurt, and forgotten. Military life already presents many hardships on service members.”
When grown folks representing the United States can’t play nice, people suffer. Many of the outraged people don’t really understand the impact a government shutdown has on the military. Headlines and agenda pushing politicians haven’t highlighted anything specific other than to say everyone is trying to “support the troops.” Being currently located overseas, the government shutdown has been felt by many in the community. Since we are not in the United States, many of our vital resources have temporarily shutdown.
- Community Mail Rooms have shut down completely. Although the USPS stateside remains unaffected by the shutdown, employees in overseas mail rooms are paid by the Department of Defense. Therefore, this service has come to a screeching halt for those of us with an APO address here in Germany. Until the shutdown is resolved, we will not be able to receive any mail whatsoever. I have some darn packages on the way, these politicians better fix themselves.
- Army Community Service program is no longer operating. The ACS provides a plethora of services in support of service members and their families. Among services no longer operating are the Family Advocacy Program, Survivor Outreach Services, Financial Readiness, Employment Readiness, Army Family Team Building, Soldier and Family Assistance Center, and many more. Many families rely on these programs to maintain soldier readiness. My family has personally taken advantage of the lending closet program, which provides temporary items until household goods arrive. That service is closed pending resolution to the shutdown.
- Soldiers are not being paid. Until further notice, service members will not receive their pay on time. This means military members will only receive pay from 15-20 on the 1st. While “they” say that wages will be back paid, this does little for families who rely on a full paycheck. Rent/utilities/bills still need to be paid.
- Moral breaks down within the military. The military community hears “support the troops” shouted from rooftops in the United States. Politicians often honor the military and their sacrifices. However, they don’t seem to take that into account when going to bat for something that has nothing to do with the spending bill. What happens to the average service member during a government shutdown? Many feel betrayed, hurt, and forgotten. Military life already presents many hardships on service members.
- Commissaries shut down. Although commissaries overseas are not affected, stateside installations will see closures in the coming days. This means service members and their families won’t have access to tax-free grocery shopping in the United States. Shopping off post is often much pricier than the commissary.
The military isn’t the only organization to be affected by the shut down. For instance, those filing disability claims with the VA won’t have any work done on their claim until the shutdown ends. This can be frustrating to veterans who have already waited so long to come to terms with their disabilities. It’s a shame how politicians are using the military community to make a play for their agenda. This madness affects real people.