I'm pissed.

Furious is a better description, really.

As you all know, Dave went back to his duty station last week after he took 3 weeks' leave. His current duty station is a 'remote' assignment in the Arctic Circle, and there is one, count 'em, one military flight in and out of there a week. No civilian flights at all, just military....here's a thought...since i got married the military has drummed into me at every opportunity they've been given the importance of having a Plan 'B'...yet they have ONE single, solitary fucking flight...where the Plan 'B' there?

So, Dave shows up at the check in counter at Baltimore International, bags in hand, 6 hours before the flight was scheduled to depart. "Oh," says the attendant "that flight's been cancelled. Sorry" . "Ok", sez Dave "what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to get back to my duty station?"
Attendant: "I dunno"
Dave (incredulously) " Excuse me?"
Attendant " I dunno. Lemme see....hmmm, there's a C130" (cargo plane) "scheduled to fly out of New Jersey headed up there tomorrow"
Dave: "Ok. Where's the train station?"
And off he goes.

Gets on a train ($54 of our cash), goes to NJ, has to take a taxi ($45 of our money) to the base, checks into billeting (military motel accomodation) at $27 a night (again, our money) and calls the terminal there to let them know he needs on the flight.

With me so far?

Well, the people at the terminal said he might be able to get on the plane, he might not. All depends on how much cargo they have to haul. "Ok", sez Dave "when will you know if I'll be able to get a seat or not?" They tell him, so he calls back then...only to be told the flight got delayed, so he has to stay another night...and another night...and another night...and finally leaves 4 days later.

Now, contrary to popular opinion, while the military pays reasonably well, we're not rich, affulent, well off, or even comfortable. He's Enlisted, not Officer status. We have to watch what we're spending just like other folks do...and $250 (lodging, travel, food etc) is a fair old chunk of change to us. " Not to worry" sez Dave "I'll file a travel voucher when I get back and we'll get reimbursed for most of it" "Good," sez I, "that's a relief"

Yeah, right. Because he was on leave (although he had orders to be on leave, one of the perks of going remote) we're not entitled to shit. Nothing. Nada. Zero...you get the idea. There a regulation that deals with reimbursement of funds when on leave, and it sez that the military doesn't owe us anything. Doesn't matter that it's their fuck-up and that Dave did exactly what he was supposed to do; doesn't matter that they didn't have a Plan 'B' like they expect us to....we're paying for their mistake.

The following is a very condensed version of the long telephone conversation that took place this afternoon:

Karen to Dave: "But you were on orders to be here! Surely that counts for something!"
Dave : "Nope, it doesn't mean shit. Just a fancy deal to make you feel you're being treated differently than someone on 'regular' leave. it actually makes no difference at all"
Karen : "But....but..."
Dave: "Karen, I looked, I read the regs. There's nothing we can do about it. We're going to get fucked"
Karen : "I'm going to talk to the Officer In Charge of finance here tomorrow"

And I am. I could care less about the money anymore. I want someone, a real, living representative of the military, to look me in the eye and tell me exactly what the fuck Dave was supposed to do. Camp out in Baltimore International for a week until the next flight was scheduled to leave? Thumb his way up to Jersey and live on the street up there until the C130 left?

This is bullshit, absolute bullshit - and as Dave, and my friend Rob will tell you, I have little tolerance for bullshit - and I'm going to raise some hell...in the politest possible way, of course - I am after all, an Air Force Wife and we do have standards to maintain.

More to follow.....