Cuts to retirees break a promise

I’m writing about one of the problems that caused out-of-control spending and the resulting $15 trillion debt the U.S. government is experiencing.

I feel I can write about this problem because of my early-in-life career. I joined the U.S. Navy on June 7, 1942, after World War II began. I later completed 20 years in the Navy and retired and received a small pension and future medical benefits. This later became Tricare-for-life.

I read the April 9 column “Veterans alarmed that Tricare increases break promise of free care” by Tom Philpott. He reported that Congress had reduced the military budget. The Navy then reworked Tricare-for-life. To save millions, they increased the co-pay. This resulted in an added financial burden on present and future retirees. One more promise to retirees lost.

When you think about it, those retirees (including myself) were willing to live with the possibility of losing their life in combat while serving our country.

As an example, I saw many of my buddies on the aircraft carrier USS Chenango lose their lives due to aircraft accidents. I was one of the lucky ones.

It is ironic that the U.S. Congress and administration, along with all the federal employees, did not get their plush wages, retirement or health benefits reduced as the military and retirees did.

How could those federal workers do that to our military members? If I was one of them, I’d be ashamed of myself.

Ernest Arnold

Everett