Troops in Alaska can now fly dwelling yearly, and the navy will choose up the tab.
The Army’s eleventh Airborne Division is pioneering a brand new coverage geared toward serving to troopers get dwelling to see household not less than as soon as yearly. The coverage, which compensates troopers for the worth of a ticket dwelling, applies to all Division of Protection service members posted to Alaska who’ve household within the continental U.S.
The eleventh Airborne is the primary active-duty unit in Alaska to completely fund the initiative, which impacts all of its troopers. The announcement on its social media account was to tell its troopers, however was not supposed to suggest that some other models had been excluded.
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“The coverage applies to all DoD service members,” mentioned Capt. Molly Treece, spokesperson for the eleventh Airborne Division. “In the event that they’re in a distinct unit, not the eleventh, that different unit must fund the ticket. However by coverage, each service member in Alaska is entitled to it.”
The coverage says that troopers and DoD workers who qualify — these stationed in Alaska — can obtain the profit solely to fly to their dwelling of report. Meaning it is necessary they make certain their dwelling of report is up to date throughout the navy’s system.
“The intent was that this coverage be in place for this entire 12 months. It wasn’t carried out till not too long ago, nevertheless it’s backdated to December of final 12 months. So if folks already visited household in 2023, they are often reimbursed for these tickets,” Treece mentioned.
Solely an officer with the paygrade of O-5 or increased can log out on the go away. The bureaucratic house it occupies is exact: It’s a particular allowance, or a particular sort of go away, and solely officers of adequate rank can authorize that.
Leaders hope that troopers serving in Alaska — a distant and bodily and mentally difficult setting — will reap the benefits of the chance to see household with a profit that’s just like these provided to troops deployed to fight.
The Army has been fighting a spike in suicides over the previous two years in Alaska. In 2021, the service had 11 troopers die by suicide there, elevating alarm bells.
Upgrades to barracks and gymnasiums, in addition to early launch for troopers on Fridays, have all been a part of the trouble to cut back the deaths in an space that may be difficult for these not used to the setting and distance from the continental U.S.
— Adrian Bonenberger, an Army veteran and graduate of the Columbia College Graduate Faculty of Journalism, studies for navy.com. He could be reached at adrian.bonenberger@monster.com.
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