Few soldiers seek armor reimbursement

WASHINGTON – Just 29 Army soldiers have sought reimbursement so far for body armor and other equipment they bought to protect themselves on the front lines.

The scant number of requests are largely for updated ceramic body armor and total just $21,000, the Associated Press has learned. That is in contrast to Defense Department officials’ predictions last year that the program could impose a financial burden on the military if people pressed for reimbursement for large amounts of protective gear.

Prodded by a new law and congressional pressure, Defense officials began the repayment program last October. Troops and their families had gained growing attention for complaints that soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan weren’t getting vital pieces of body armor from the Pentagon. Hometown groups had begun raising money and sending armor to the troops.

Army Maj. Paul Cucuzzella, who runs the reimbursement program from his office at Fort Meade, Md., said interest is starting to pick up. He said inquiries have grown from one a day to up to a half dozen.

Others, though, are faulting the Defense Department, saying it has not aggressively publicized the program.

“There can be no higher priority than taking care of our troops. And since day one – and this is an incredible understatement – the Pentagon has either outright fought or slow-walked implementation of this law,” said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., who pushed for legislation on the reimbursement.

Cucuzzella said he believes there is no way to know how many soldiers could potentially use the program.

But Dodd spokesman Marvin Fast said the 29 requests seem to represent a small fraction of those who may be eligible, since contractors have reported receiving orders for as much as five to 10 pieces of body armor a week for troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Retired Brig. Gen. Stephen Koper, president of the National Guard Association, said information published by the Army on a military Web site last week misstated the cutoff date for purchases that qualify for the reimbursement as July 2004. That was the initial date the program was supposed to end, but it has since been extended to April 1, 2006.

Purchases made between September 2001 and April 1, 2006, are eligible for reimbursement, as long as soldiers have proper documentation and the specific equipment is on the Pentagon’s list of accepted items.

“Obviously there is a serious disconnect here,” Koper said.