Alaska WWII militiamen will get retirement pay

Alaska WWII militiamen will get retirement pay
By Rachel D’Oro - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 28, 2009 20:15:49 EST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Secretary of the Army has authorized emergency funds for 26 surviving members of a World War II Alaska militia unit whose retirement pay was being reduced because of a legal technicality, Alaska's congressional delegation said Wednesday.

Army officials last week said a military analysis determined the law recognizing the Alaska Territorial Guard's service as federal active duty had initially been misinterpreted. Under the new interpretation, service in the five-year-guard no longer counts in calculating the military's 20-year minimum for retirement pay, although it still applies to military benefits, including medical benefits.

"These emergency payments will give us some time to get the problem resolved while making sure these brave Alaskans get the retirement pay they so deserve," said Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.

The three-member delegation said that at its urging, Army Secretary Pete Geren will dip into an emergency fund to cover the pay for the 26 former members of the largely Native guard. The pay will equal two months worth while Congress works on legislation introduced by the delegation Wednesday to fix the law to allow the service in the unit to counts as active duty for calculating retirement pay.

"In this era of high fuel and food costs, it would be tragic to reduce the retirement checks of these elders who have done so much for our nation," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_alaska_militia_012809w/%2e