Update: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Michael got an INCAP extension for October 2008 through March 2009, so he's been paid on a regular basis up until this month. They just got the next extension approved, so pay should be regular for 6 more months or until they finish with his MEB/PEB proceedings. Hopefully the latter will happen before the need for another extension.

Michael got his DA Form 3947 from Ft. Sill (MEB Proceedings) along with his NARSUM (Narrative Summary) a few weeks ago. He has had some trouble contacting his PEBLO officer, but we found that was because she was in meetings/lectures all week last week. He signed part of the DA 3947, but wants to add some documents from his Army PERMED (Permanent Medical) files that we didn't receive copies of until after his MEB appointments in Oklahoma, so we are in the process of contacting our PEBLO officer, Susan, about this.

There is a woman who works in the MEB office at Fort Sill, her name is Kimberly, and she just received an award for Employee of the Quarter or Month or something. She rightly deserves the award. Any time we cannot contact our PEBLO officer, she is always more than willing to help us. She is always pleasant to speak with and never short or unpleasant over the telephone like so many people we deal with and she goes (however cliche it sounds) above and beyond her duties to make sure we are taken care of. This is always a welcome and refreshing change to what we are used to.

Michael's new POC at the unit level is SFC Burns, who was in Iraq with him on the 39th's first tour. Burns has been very professional in his correspondence with Michael regarding his duties at the unit and his INCAP documents.

Also, it seems that this blog was found by someone within the ARNG, or Army or by JAG. Basically, and I would never be able to prove this in a court of law, the ARNG has bullied Michael into getting me to remove the blog. So, instead of just deleting the whole thing, I made it private, invitation only. I am not sure why they were so insistent that it be removed, or if they even were (but I think it was an underlying theme in their talking with Michael today) since it's already been seen by whoever needed to see it, apparently. And I would never have taken it down had my husband not asked me to do it. I do not want things to be harder for him than they already are, so I acquiesced.

Censoring?

My husband asked me to take this off of the public blogs, so now it is only available by invitation. I don't want the Army to make it any harder on Michael than it already is/they already do, so I have removed the blog from public viewing. I will re-publish it to public viewing as soon as Michael is discharged from the military.