Same service, same sacrifice, different treatment

David Karow and Jeremy Wilson, two soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard, were stationed together at Camp Scania in Iraq, a convoy refueling station south of Baghdad. Both were deployed in the war zone for 16 months, returning home in July after serving the longest tour of duty in Iraq for any U.S. unit.

Karow and Wilson both expected to receive hundreds of additional dollars each month in expanded education benefits under Chapter 30 of the Montgomery G.I. Bill. But one of them has been disappointed, at least so far.

Karow is among more than 1,100 Iraq veterans in the state Guard who were denied the larger benefits because of what officials are terming a bureaucratic glitch.

"It's kind of frustrating, thinking you're going to get these benefits when you get home and you have to go through all these walls," Karow said. "It makes it complicated."

Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, who will testify before a congressional panel today, calls the situation "a perfect storm of errors."

The glitch results from the number of active duty days that were anticipated in soldiers' orders, even though the orders don't necessarily match the actual days soldiers served.

Wilson's orders indicated 730 days of active duty, the minimum number needed to qualify for the expanded education benefits under Chapter 30. But Karow's orders anticipated one day less -- 729 days -- making him ineligible.

As a result, Wilson, a 26-year-old who lives in Minneapolis, will receive $894 per month in education benefits. What's more, the benefits will be available for 10 years after he is deactivated.

But Karow, a 22-year-old who attends Alexandria Technical College, is receiving $234 a month less in education benefits than Wilson, and his benefits will expire when he leaves military service.

Wilson said it's not fair that fellow soldiers who served in Iraq for the same amount of time, like Karow, are getting short shrift.

State Guard officials and members of Congress have been working for months to set things right, most recently appealing to President Bush for help, but so far without success.

Logistical nightmare

The Minnesota Guard members must seek redress through ordinary channels, meaning that each soldier has to file an appeal to the Army Board of Corrections. State officials had sought to file a single class-action appeal, but that request was denied, Shellito said.

"What I don't think they realize is the logistical nightmare it's creating," he said. "It's about 11 sheets of paper per person, times 1,162. "

The resulting delays have frustrated veterans and prompted calls for action in Congress.

Army officials responded to the timing issue Wednesday, pledging to let vets know how much money they are in line to receive in time to register for classes next January.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told Rep. Tim Walz, a Minnesota Democrat and National Guard veteran, that he would make sure the backlog of appeals is eliminated.

"The Army's prepared to deploy additional resources if necessary to make sure they get this done," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told the Associated Press.

"To my knowledge, this is the first time that any Army or Department of Defense official has committed to a timeline to resolve each soldier's case," Walz said.

The answers could still leave veterans like Karow frustrated by the amount of aid they get.

Shellito will appear before the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee today to offer recommendations on updating the Montgomery G.I. Bill.

Appeal goes to Bush

Minnesota's Washington lawmakers have tried several approaches to restoring benefits for soldiers like Karow, from lobbying Army Secretary Pete Geren to drafting legislation.

Walz and John Kline, a Republican, plan to introduce a bill that would reduce the amount of service time needed to qualify for the expanded benefits, from two years to 20 continuous months.

The bill mirrors one Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced in the Senate earlier this month, which Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., co-sponsors.

Coleman also drafted a letter signed by the entire Minnesota delegation asking President Bush to use an Executive Order to help the troops if all else fails. While legislation may be needed for a long-term solution, an immediate correction to the problem is the "least we can do," said press secretary LeRoy Coleman.

The White House was noncommittal. "We have been working with Representative Kline and Senator Coleman on this issue," said White House spokesman Alex Conant in an e-mail Wednesday. "We will continue to work with members of Congress to enhance the educational benefits for National Guard members and Reservists in a way that recognizes their sacrifices but also keeps active duty retention levels strong."We think we're being a bit of a pain of the butt to people and we'll continue to do that," Walz said. "This is a clear-cut case, where the letter of the law and the spirit of law just got totally misconstrued."

Nina Petersen-Perlman • 202-408-2723

Nina Petersen-perlman • nperlman@startribune.com