What the heck am I not surprised? I begin to notice a lot of started to happen during my tour in Bagram. At first, I used to dismiss them as rumors till they started showing up in the monthly briefings. Then it would make a person wonder what happen to those so called values a person is taught during training. The goals is to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Hmmm... I know I may not be know the reason a person steal funds used for reconstructing a country, but if I was to see a person during that in my country the trust I ever had for them will be gone. Then one may wonder why are the numbers INcreasing? Is it obvious? If so many billions are going to another country yet the home country is having financial bind would it be a better idea to use it for domestic issues. This and few other things make me think U.S. have ways of handling issues backward.
This is incredibly sad that fraud is occurring while men and women are losing their lives. I am not at all surprised that people are taking advantage of all the money being pumped into a foreign country, especially when our own citizens are struggling financially. This might not be as big a problem if we paid our military more money for their services, and paid contractors less for their services. I hope these people that have stolen money from American citizens, after all this money is coming from the taxes we pay, are punished to the fullest extent of the law. The only bright side I can see is that some of the money has been recovered and that people have been caught for their criminal acts. The US government needs to tract this money and become more responsible with the money rather than just throwing money around and not following up with where it is going.
Yeah I am not surprised either. I am surprised they are taking advantage of the money that is there to help people but then again people are greedy and only care about themselves. It's sad to think how many people are selfish. I am glad that these people are being caught and punished for their actions and that some of the money is being recovered. It sucks because it sets them back on helping rebuilt the two countries. It also sucks that the money lost most likely comes out of our taxes. Here in the US, we have our own problems and yet we have to somewhat "pay" for the crimes that we didn't commit. Its unfair but we have no choice. We might as well be out there committing the same crimes because we end up paying for it in the long run. how can we track the money better? Let's hope they catch more people and recover more money and one day hopefully crime will reduce.
This article completely blew me away! Sure I would imagine fraud and theft taking place because, let’s face it, it’s everywhere. But I had no idea that it was taking place at this magnitude. As mentioned in the first comment, where are the values that are supposedly instilled in training? And also if we are throwing away such large amounts of money in attempts to rebuild other countries why not attempt to rebuild our own? I am seriously baffled by the fact that billions are wasted, and fractions of that (which are still HUGE amounts of money) are stolen and laundered, while the rest goes unaccounted for! When did tax payer’s money become so expendable? I don’t know about everyone else but I need the money I work hard for every day to be invested in me, my daughter, and my community. The government needs to stop spending so much money on foreign countries and also stop taking so much money from the taxpayers to fund these criminals then turn around and prosecute them.
Nicole, I totally agree with you...this is absurd. The cost of this fraud and waste has cost the US $155 million so far so what are these people thinking? My thought is that they see the war winding down and are going to try to get away with stealing everything they can because in some small way they may think that it is owed them. The fact that there are investigators and auditors working over there to uncover this crime of theft and bribery is shocking, but I'm sure this has been going on for some time especially for US government employees. I say let's not try to rebuild every country, just the United States. Charity begins at home.
This comes with NO SURPRISE.... with the issues of putting soldiers in command and control of certain zones it goes to play out like a particular business/corporation squandering money, & taking kickbacks. During a time of war it seems that most of the people become supportive and don't tend to question where or what the money is being used for as long as the objective is met. The numbers shown of ex-criminals and active gang members in the military was on the rise during the recruiting days before the wars in the middle east and when these criminals are put into authority positions they continue their crime just with the power to be able to ramp it up a bit. The Taxpayer becomes the ultimate victim and with what regard? As if that money will ever be seen again....
Yikes...no gonna lie I am not surprised that this is happening, but I am saddened. I would like to say that if we payed our military more money then they would no longer be tempted to do this, but I really don't think that is a fair assumption. Without the proper regulations in place fraud will happen. When trying to rebuild a country there is not a good infrastructure to track down where the money is going...therefore people see doors being left wide open and after a time they take advantage of it. The bad part is that this is a huge waste of our tax dollars. I think someone else mentioned it further up...but if this is only the amount that we know about...how large is the actual amount of money that has been taken through fraud?
Wow what deviant actions were committed here by our soldiers? Reading the first paragraph made me very surprised. I agree with Bailey, it is very sad that fraud is going on in a devastating time when men and women are losing their lives. It was also very surprising to read that as hostility reduces the bribery committed by people goes up forcefully. I also agree that we should pay our military more money and maybe this will reduce the wanting to steal money. The money that was stolen will in time return, hopefully. The deviant actions committed by these soldiers can be explained by the anomie theory. The military face difficult and stressful times probably 100 percent of the time. And this theory explains why some soldiers can commit these deviant actions. In conclusion to all the fraud going on here the victims are yet again the tax payers.
After taking White Collar Crime, along with everyone else, this is not a surprise. I do not agree in the fact that soldiers should be excluded from the shame and punishment of this crime. It is not shocking that big businesses like Halliburton are malicious and untrustworthy, but our military is held to a higher standard and hold positions of trust. Although I do agree that soldiers could definitely be compensated more for their brave actions, it is not an excuse to steal or scheme people out of millions of dolalrs. I'm sorry but it's unacceptable regardless of who you are or what you do for our country. The fact that the U.S. has contributed $62 billion to the rebuilding of Iraq and $72 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and $60 BILLION has been lost to waste and fraud is repulsive. Tell me why are we over there again? I think in order to end this criminal behavior in our military is through criminal prosecution of those involved individuals. Deterrence. It should be symbolized that this kind of behavior is unacceptable in our military. The United States is much better than that.
I am also not surprised to read this. With so many people struggling financially, it makes sense that people are going to extreme lengths to get money for themselves. It is disappointing to see that these are men that are looked up to and admired for their service. They are not the trustworthy people that they are believed to be and unfortunately, many people suffer because of the money that they have wrongfully taken. I guess this just goes to show how crime can definitely be cause by environmental factors such as the economy. When there is so much financial distress in the world, people see opportunities and they take it.
This is a good example of a war crime. Soldiers sending over stolen money is not right. I know they are protecting our freedom and fighting for us but it does not give them the right to steal money like that. By what it is saying it is like the marines are trying to get as much out of Iraq and the war as they can. It says that the United States have spent 62 billion on rebuilding Iraq and 72 billion on reconstruction of Afghanistan. I understand why we are so in debt know. We spend so much money on things like that when they said 31 billion has been lost in waste and fraud. All of the fraud going on over there just makes me wonder what else could be happening without us knowing about it.
Our governement should held to the same standard the rest of us Americans are held to. It is a scam, and definitely a crime. If I was to take another tax payers money, what would that be called? Would I be prosecuted? I understand that I am not over there in Iraq or Afghanistan, but those soldiers knew what they were signing up for when they entered into the Military Services. They knew they would not be making millions of dollars, whether thats right or wrong is not my decision. I appreciate their efforts, and their representation of our country. But the light that this brings on our country is not a good light, and these soldiers should be prosecuted in my opinion. There are thousands upon thousands of soldiers that risk their lives daily without committing these crimes. I am truly thankful for all of our countries military and their families. My father retired from the Army after 20 years of service as a Lt. Colonel. I know how tough the life style can be. But again, they knew what what they were signing up for when they raised their right hand and pledged their allegiance to our great nation, and for that, when they violate the law, they should be prosecuted. God Bless our Troops...I tihnk we need to pay these people more, because they are the true heroes of our country. Why can we afford to pay professional athletes? Why do they deserve millions of dollars? I understand they are the elite at what they do....but not everyone can be a soldier either? A Navy Seal? An Army Ranger? It takes great effort, and skill to be a soldier in my opinion, they do deserve to be paid more, and maybe that might reduce the temptation to steal more?
It is quite upsetting to see a number of service men engaging in such acts. These individuals are the ones the country looks to for protection, they are the ones we honor and respect because of their service to our country. It is absolutely disappointing to see how many are taking advantage of the fact. Moreover, it is sad to see how the country is taking it. Because of these crimes, people will be skeptical of honoring and respecting our service men for the errors of some. I can understand the temptation. The economy in the U.S. is terrible yet the government finds money to send to foreign countries. Still, just because the government works in a backwards twisted manner does not mean our service men have to as well. What happed to the values they were taught in training as mentioned by the first blogger? What happened to the values that they were taught as children?
The arm forces have been dealing with this problem forever now. there no stop in sight, or atleast that is what i believe. because the army will take pretty much anyone, so not the best type of people will go in. if they see a chance of them getting away with it they are going to take it. and that is alot of money that they are dealing. i am sure they all like america because they are fighting for it but hey they need to retire some point and with that money it will make it nice and easy. but i am happy that someone is trying to do something about it at least i hope they think before they just act now.
What the heck am I not surprised? I begin to notice a lot of started to happen during my tour in Bagram. At first, I used to dismiss them as rumors till they started showing up in the monthly briefings. Then it would make a person wonder what happen to those so called values a person is taught during training. The goals is to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Hmmm... I know I may not be know the reason a person steal funds used for reconstructing a country, but if I was to see a person during that in my country the trust I ever had for them will be gone. Then one may wonder why are the numbers INcreasing? Is it obvious? If so many billions are going to another country yet the home country is having financial bind would it be a better idea to use it for domestic issues. This and few other things make me think U.S. have ways of handling issues backward.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly sad that fraud is occurring while men and women are losing their lives. I am not at all surprised that people are taking advantage of all the money being pumped into a foreign country, especially when our own citizens are struggling financially. This might not be as big a problem if we paid our military more money for their services, and paid contractors less for their services. I hope these people that have stolen money from American citizens, after all this money is coming from the taxes we pay, are punished to the fullest extent of the law. The only bright side I can see is that some of the money has been recovered and that people have been caught for their criminal acts. The US government needs to tract this money and become more responsible with the money rather than just throwing money around and not following up with where it is going.
ReplyDeleteYeah I am not surprised either. I am surprised they are taking advantage of the money that is there to help people but then again people are greedy and only care about themselves. It's sad to think how many people are selfish. I am glad that these people are being caught and punished for their actions and that some of the money is being recovered. It sucks because it sets them back on helping rebuilt the two countries. It also sucks that the money lost most likely comes out of our taxes. Here in the US, we have our own problems and yet we have to somewhat "pay" for the crimes that we didn't commit. Its unfair but we have no choice. We might as well be out there committing the same crimes because we end up paying for it in the long run. how can we track the money better? Let's hope they catch more people and recover more money and one day hopefully crime will reduce.
ReplyDeleteThis article completely blew me away! Sure I would imagine fraud and theft taking place because, let’s face it, it’s everywhere. But I had no idea that it was taking place at this magnitude. As mentioned in the first comment, where are the values that are supposedly instilled in training? And also if we are throwing away such large amounts of money in attempts to rebuild other countries why not attempt to rebuild our own? I am seriously baffled by the fact that billions are wasted, and fractions of that (which are still HUGE amounts of money) are stolen and laundered, while the rest goes unaccounted for! When did tax payer’s money become so expendable? I don’t know about everyone else but I need the money I work hard for every day to be invested in me, my daughter, and my community. The government needs to stop spending so much money on foreign countries and also stop taking so much money from the taxpayers to fund these criminals then turn around and prosecute them.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I totally agree with you...this is absurd. The cost of this fraud and waste has cost the US $155 million so far so what are these people thinking? My thought is that they see the war winding down and are going to try to get away with stealing everything they can because in some small way they may think that it is owed them. The fact that there are investigators and auditors working over there to uncover this crime of theft and bribery is shocking, but I'm sure this has been going on for some time especially for US government employees. I say let's not try to rebuild every country, just the United States. Charity begins at home.
ReplyDeleteThis comes with NO SURPRISE.... with the issues of putting soldiers in command and control of certain zones it goes to play out like a particular business/corporation squandering money, & taking kickbacks. During a time of war it seems that most of the people become supportive and don't tend to question where or what the money is being used for as long as the objective is met. The numbers shown of ex-criminals and active gang members in the military was on the rise during the recruiting days before the wars in the middle east and when these criminals are put into authority positions they continue their crime just with the power to be able to ramp it up a bit. The Taxpayer becomes the ultimate victim and with what regard? As if that money will ever be seen again....
ReplyDeleteYikes...no gonna lie I am not surprised that this is happening, but I am saddened. I would like to say that if we payed our military more money then they would no longer be tempted to do this, but I really don't think that is a fair assumption. Without the proper regulations in place fraud will happen. When trying to rebuild a country there is not a good infrastructure to track down where the money is going...therefore people see doors being left wide open and after a time they take advantage of it. The bad part is that this is a huge waste of our tax dollars. I think someone else mentioned it further up...but if this is only the amount that we know about...how large is the actual amount of money that has been taken through fraud?
ReplyDeleteWow what deviant actions were committed here by our soldiers? Reading the first paragraph made me very surprised. I agree with Bailey, it is very sad that fraud is going on in a devastating time when men and women are losing their lives. It was also very surprising to read that as hostility reduces the bribery committed by people goes up forcefully. I also agree that we should pay our military more money and maybe this will reduce the wanting to steal money. The money that was stolen will in time return, hopefully. The deviant actions committed by these soldiers can be explained by the anomie theory. The military face difficult and stressful times probably 100 percent of the time. And this theory explains why some soldiers can commit these deviant actions. In conclusion to all the fraud going on here the victims are yet again the tax payers.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking White Collar Crime, along with everyone else, this is not a surprise. I do not agree in the fact that soldiers should be excluded from the shame and punishment of this crime. It is not shocking that big businesses like Halliburton are malicious and untrustworthy, but our military is held to a higher standard and hold positions of trust. Although I do agree that soldiers could definitely be compensated more for their brave actions, it is not an excuse to steal or scheme people out of millions of dolalrs. I'm sorry but it's unacceptable regardless of who you are or what you do for our country. The fact that the U.S. has contributed $62 billion to the rebuilding of Iraq and $72 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and $60 BILLION has been lost to waste and fraud is repulsive. Tell me why are we over there again? I think in order to end this criminal behavior in our military is through criminal prosecution of those involved individuals. Deterrence. It should be symbolized that this kind of behavior is unacceptable in our military. The United States is much better than that.
ReplyDeleteI am also not surprised to read this. With so many people struggling financially, it makes sense that people are going to extreme lengths to get money for themselves. It is disappointing to see that these are men that are looked up to and admired for their service. They are not the trustworthy people that they are believed to be and unfortunately, many people suffer because of the money that they have wrongfully taken. I guess this just goes to show how crime can definitely be cause by environmental factors such as the economy. When there is so much financial distress in the world, people see opportunities and they take it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good example of a war crime. Soldiers sending over stolen money is not right. I know they are protecting our freedom and fighting for us but it does not give them the right to steal money like that. By what it is saying it is like the marines are trying to get as much out of Iraq and the war as they can. It says that the United States have spent 62 billion on rebuilding Iraq and 72 billion on reconstruction of Afghanistan. I understand why we are so in debt know. We spend so much money on things like that when they said 31 billion has been lost in waste and fraud. All of the fraud going on over there just makes me wonder what else could be happening without us knowing about it.
ReplyDeleteOur governement should held to the same standard the rest of us Americans are held to. It is a scam, and definitely a crime. If I was to take another tax payers money, what would that be called? Would I be prosecuted? I understand that I am not over there in Iraq or Afghanistan, but those soldiers knew what they were signing up for when they entered into the Military Services. They knew they would not be making millions of dollars, whether thats right or wrong is not my decision. I appreciate their efforts, and their representation of our country. But the light that this brings on our country is not a good light, and these soldiers should be prosecuted in my opinion. There are thousands upon thousands of soldiers that risk their lives daily without committing these crimes. I am truly thankful for all of our countries military and their families. My father retired from the Army after 20 years of service as a Lt. Colonel. I know how tough the life style can be. But again, they knew what what they were signing up for when they raised their right hand and pledged their allegiance to our great nation, and for that, when they violate the law, they should be prosecuted. God Bless our Troops...I tihnk we need to pay these people more, because they are the true heroes of our country. Why can we afford to pay professional athletes? Why do they deserve millions of dollars? I understand they are the elite at what they do....but not everyone can be a soldier either? A Navy Seal? An Army Ranger? It takes great effort, and skill to be a soldier in my opinion, they do deserve to be paid more, and maybe that might reduce the temptation to steal more?
ReplyDeleteIt is quite upsetting to see a number of service men engaging in such acts. These individuals are the ones the country looks to for protection, they are the ones we honor and respect because of their service to our country. It is absolutely disappointing to see how many are taking advantage of the fact. Moreover, it is sad to see how the country is taking it. Because of these crimes, people will be skeptical of honoring and respecting our service men for the errors of some. I can understand the temptation. The economy in the U.S. is terrible yet the government finds money to send to foreign countries. Still, just because the government works in a backwards twisted manner does not mean our service men have to as well. What happed to the values they were taught in training as mentioned by the first blogger? What happened to the values that they were taught as children?
ReplyDeleteThe arm forces have been dealing with this problem forever now. there no stop in sight, or atleast that is what i believe. because the army will take pretty much anyone, so not the best type of people will go in. if they see a chance of them getting away with it they are going to take it. and that is alot of money that they are dealing. i am sure they all like america because they are fighting for it but hey they need to retire some point and with that money it will make it nice and easy. but i am happy that someone is trying to do something about it at least i hope they think before they just act now.
ReplyDelete