Financial Benifits of Military Deployment

There seems to be a great debate among the service members that are deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The debate centers around the belief by those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan that service members serving in Kuwait are less deserving of Rest and Recuperation Leave and that their service is less dangerous and thus not worthy of receiving all the benefits of those serving in a combat zone. (Despite the fact that service in Kuwait is considered service in a combat zone!)

The fact of the matter is those serving in Kuwait, Qatar and other locations in the region but outside of Iraq and Afghanistan are just as vulnerable to being attacked and killed as those service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those serving in Kuwait may get a false sense of security, as they are not being shot at daily. But all must rest assure that even in Kuwait, that boarders Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as those serving in Qatar home to the media conglomerate Al Jazeera that has been viewed by some as very pro Islamic extreme, have forces living within their borders that would love to do serious harm to the American way of life as well as kill service members.

The bottom line is, never let anyone tell you that you are less of a combat soldier and not deserving to wear the combat patch nor receive the benefits of being in a war zone. The truth of the matter is we are all in this war on terrorism together and the war in Iraq could not succeed without the support and service of those serving in Kuwait as well as others around the world.

Moreover, we are all away from family, friends and love ones and regardless of where you serve you feel the separation.

There are many financial and other benefits that service members have as a result of their deployment in the combat zone. As discussed earlier, they will receive certain tax benefits as well as additional money does to their service in a combat zone. There are also various savings and investment programs that should be considered. Here are a couple for you to think about. In my book, “The Service Member’s Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed." I go into great detail outline and discussing the major programs.