Billed $3,000 after getting shot!

Biggins

Short version: USA Soldier on duty - gets shot - in rush to save life, his gear is left behind and they charge him!

Gary Pfleider doesn't remember much of what happened after he got shot. The former Oregon National Guard soldier was in a truck on patrol in Iraq in 2007 when a bullet tore through his left leg.

"I remember grabbing ahold of my leg and realizing I had blood on my hands," Pfleider told KVAL-TV. "And from that point on, until I got loaded onto the Stryker, it was just a big blur."
Pfleider flew back to the states and recuperated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. One-third of the muscle in his leg is gone and he'll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life.
And according to the government, he also has some debts to repay.

Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
Pfleider claims he got sworn statements from his bosses that he was no longer liable. The government says he may have misfiled them, or they may be lost. It's issuing a ruling on Friday to determine what Pfleider owes.

The feds are already docking Pfleider's social security and put a freeze on his tax returns. Making it even more difficult for him to mentally prepare for an upcoming surgery on his leg, the ninth one he's undergone since getting shot.
In the meantime, altruistic strangers are reaching out to Pfleider and offering to cover his expenses.
"I'm asking those people to wait," he told KVAL. "I appreciate the offers, but that's not the issue. I want a response back from the military. I want them to admit they are wrong. I want it known that vets are not going to stand for it and be treated the way we're being treated."

Source: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/06/soldier_gary_pfleider_shot_by.php

Someone in an army office is looking for a slap to kop themselves on!

EDIT: Just to be clear.
I post this in relation to the daftness of some rules - be in an army - work or elsewhere. THATS ALL!
If anyone wants to mention other daft rules - I, for myself would like to hear about them.

gandalf

Jesus that is outrageous.

It wasn't me!

Someone needs a hefty size 12 combat boot in the hole.

ancapailldorcha

Guys gets half his leg blown off serving his country and he gets a bill! Pathetic if you ask me.

Kivaro

This is obviously a bureaucratic mistake.
There is no way that any right-minded pencil pusher would charge the soldier in these circumstances.

So relax.
Was it worth starting a thread about it?
I don't think so, unless it's another "I hate America" or "All Yanks are stupid" thread.

OutlawPete

Jesus Christ Biggins .. don't do that!

I thought from the thread title they had found you :eek:

You're safe though

Wazdakka

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Guys gets half his leg blown off serving his country and he gets a bill! Pathetic if you ask me.

Typically you serve your country while you are in it..
Or protecting it against an aggressor.

He was stupid enough to volunteer for operation "make america rule the world",
he might have been stupid enough to pay for being shot.

orourkeda

When one considers the amount of money that the U.S government ploughs into defence this is little short of an outrage.

j1974

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Guys gets half his leg blown off serving his country and he gets a bill! Pathetic if you ask me.

said it before and ill repeat again " YOURE TALKING ABOUT AMERICA" a land of idiots, where aspiring young women go to college to study paris hilton for 2 years!!! anyway you seen michael moores films, im fraid that type of thing is common.

karma_

This is nothing new.

Relatives of the dead of WW1 were billed for the blanket the dead was buried in.

orourkeda

History shows that the U.S government does not treat its veterans all that well. Perhaps this is an unusual case of this but generally speaking the soldiers that have served America have gotten something of a raw deal.

Kivaro

j1974 wrote: »

said it before and ill repeat again " YOURE TALKING ABOUT AMERICA" a land of idiots, where aspiring young women go to college to study paris hilton for 2 years!!! anyway you seen michael moores films, im fraid that type of thing is common.

At least after their 2-year Paris Hilton course, they know how to use punctuation and capitalisation correctly.

Cookie_Monster

Can't they just take that $3k out of the Iraqi oil profits?

Morlar

In before the civil war.

Biggins

karma_ wrote: »

This is nothing new.

Relatives of the dead of WW1 were billed for the blanket the dead was buried in.

Thats mad.
I didn't know that. More daft formalities.

dr.bollocko

OK. J1974 banned and the strange off topic thread posts about what mods can and cannot do have been removed. Please try and get back to topic. The topic btw, is not "lets all slag off the US."

Gummy Panda

dr.bollocko wrote: »

The topic btw, is not "lets all slag off the US."

Can we slag off overheal though?

dr.bollocko

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Can we slag off overheal though?

Apparently something like that in the charter says we cant. We could send him a bill for 3 grand?

Captain Darling

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Apparently something like that in the charter says we cant. We could send him a bill for 3 grand?

Or shoot him in the leg?

dr.bollocko

Captain Darling wrote: »

Or shoot him in the leg?

Also contra-indicated I'm afraid.

piby

Particularly unusual for the Americans given how in love they are with the military.

Must have been a mistake otherwise the penpusher who authorised that will be Public Enemy No.2 (behind the Commies )

Wolfe Tone

Shouldn't have joined the army.

Mitch Buchannon

Gary Pfleider doesn't remember much of what happened after he got shot. The former Oregon National Guard soldier was in a truck on patrol in Iraq in 2007 when a bullet tore through his left leg.

"I remember grabbing ahold of my leg and realizing I had blood on my hands," Pfleider told KVAL-TV. "And from that point on, until I got loaded onto the Stryker, it was just a big blur."
Pfleider flew back to the states and recuperated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. One-third of the muscle in his leg is gone and he'll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life.
And according to the government, he also has some debts to repay.

Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
Pfleider claims he got sworn statements from his bosses that he was no longer liable. The government says he may have misfiled them, or they may be lost. It's issuing a ruling on Friday to determine what Pfleider owes.

The feds are already docking Pfleider's social security and put a freeze on his tax returns. Making it even more difficult for him to mentally prepare for an upcoming surgery on his leg, the ninth one he's undergone since getting shot.
In the meantime, altruistic strangers are reaching out to Pfleider and offering to cover his expenses.
"I'm asking those people to wait," he told KVAL. "I appreciate the offers, but that's not the issue. I want a response back from the military. I want them to admit they are wrong. I want it known that vets are not going to stand for it and be treated the way we're being treated."

He wont be standing long with that gammy leg of his.

Unbelievably pointless thread until after the ruling on payment. The fact you got shot isn't plastered over every record the government has on you.. They issued a standard claim and will more than likely retract it when he challenges it with a good cause.

Biggins

Deleted User wrote: »

Unbelievably pointless thread until after the ruling on payment. The fact you got shot isn't plastered over every record the government has on you.. They issued a standard claim and will more than likely retract it when he challenges it with a good cause.

Well to be honest, it appears they had already come to a decision - and not at the drop of a hat! The first simple example of that is "The feds (who were obviously contacted and they would have reviewed the case too!) are already docking Pfleider's social security and put a freeze on his tax returns" so clearly some sort of assessment was made already to take it to them and then someone went in an unusual third stage (Army-> Feds-> Court-> Social Security) of the process to a court (which then gave permission after reviewing details pertaining to the case and consequently coming to its own assessment within army small print rules) to gain access to his social security payments and tax and start deducting money.
Something that just doesn't happen without details and assessments having been done already in accordance with (in this case) daft rules relating to missing paperwork.

This new (fifth stage!) "decision" coming, I suspect is possible damage limitation by the army when this matter blew up in their face through the media.

jimi_t2

j1974 wrote: »

said it before and ill repeat again " YOURE TALKING ABOUT AMERICA" a land of idiots,

You live in Ireland. Pot, kettle, black.

where aspiring young women go to college to study paris hilton for 2 years!!!

Whats wrong with that? The woman should be a psychological case study at this stage; not to mention the enormous cultural trends that can be traced back ditrectly from her, and historically one of the first and few people without any discernible skills to ''brand'' themselves.

anyway you seen michael moores films, im fraid that type of thing is common.

Michael Moore is a left-wing Rush Limbaugh basically. He's not a bad guy, and a reasonable documentary film maker, but the way he presents his views and alters some of his ''facts'' are inherently abhorrent. He's just as biased as his right wing counterparts in many ways.

If you're looking for something semi-reasonable and still entertaining I'd advise Al Franken.

Cookie_Monster

Should have had the auld Army travel insurance, would have covered the cost of gear and guns up to 10k, he just cheaped out before going over :pac:

Herb Powell

Wazdakka wrote: »

Typically you serve your country while you are in it..
Or protecting it against an aggressor.

He was stupid enough to volunteer for operation "make america rule the world",
he might have been stupid enough to pay for being shot.

I agree with your opinion of the war, but just no. the man got shot. leave him be

itsallaboutheL

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Shouldn't have joined the army.

No, he shouldn't have gotten shot

Biggins

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

No, he shouldn't have gotten shot

LOL
Its not like he stood up and shouted "Hi Mr Taliban man, COOO EEEE... I'm Here! Shoot me please!!!" :pac:

itsallaboutheL

Biggins wrote: »

LOL
Its not like he stood up and shouted "Hi Mr Taliban man, COOO EEEE... I'm Here! Shoot me please!!!" :pac:

LOL

Carry On Taliban......

We should so colaborate on a screenplay.

boboirl

hmmm, this doesn't seem right to me in the slightest...

The US government will cover all bills if wounded on duty.

There is something really strange about this story. Clearly they have a reason for billing him, maybe he shot himself, who the f**k knows, but I have a feeling the full story isn't been told.