Duty Honor Country
Active member
Better known as AER has come under fire mainly for keeping its money in reserve rather than getting out to help soldiers. The link below is to a very informative AP article that describes AER and its current issues. I feel it is worth a read because I have been in the Army for 8 years and I learned a bit.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/22/army-charity-hoards-millions-meant-help-veterans/
There has been more than a few times where a unit I was in used similar methods to get soldiers to donate. The article made a beef about soldiers who get in trouble for not paying the AER loans but it is not free money.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/22/army-charity-hoards-millions-meant-help-veterans/
-- Despite strict rules against coercion, the Army uses pushy tactics to extract supposedly voluntary contributions, with superiors using language like: "How much can we count on from you?"
-- The Army sometimes offers rewards for contributions, though incentives are banned by program rules. It sometimes excuses contributors from physical training -- another clear violation.
-- AER screens every request for aid, peering into the personal finances of its troops, essentially making the Army a soldier's boss and loan officer.
"If I ask a private for something ... chances are everyone's going to do it. Why? Because I'm a lieutenant," says Iraq war veteran Tom Tarantino, otherwise an AER backer. "It can almost be construed as mandatory."
It's "offensive" to raise funds this way, says Rich Cowles, executive director of the independent Charities Review Council of Minnesota.
There has been more than a few times where a unit I was in used similar methods to get soldiers to donate. The article made a beef about soldiers who get in trouble for not paying the AER loans but it is not free money.