Has anyone here or someone you personally know contacted their congressman regarding wrong doing in the military? What happened? A friend of mine was improperly processed out out of the military (I can attest to this) yesterday. (of course I tried to intervene with instructions in hand, but that battle was not to be won by little 'ol me) She has been advised by numerous people to "file a congressional"...other than writing a letter to one's local congressman (ours is a pro-military good guy, and well known in the military/veteran circles in NJ.) I just want to give her GOOD advice...
I used to be a point-paper guy at COMSUBPAC who drafted responses to Congressional. (BRAC '93 still evokes miserable memories.) My experience started with my boss, who was written up by one of his sailors for not awarding the guy a retirement Navy Achievement Medal. Of course simply giving the guy the award would have consumed far less time & effort than we spent on documenting why he didn't deserve it, but I digress.
Your friend was improperly processed out, got it. What does she want to make things right? Does she want to return to her former status, to be properly processed out, to be properly awarded benefits, or to wreak vengeance & collect damages?
If she hasn't already, she could fax a letter to the CO (or decision-making authority) explaning what happened, why it's a violation, and what has to be done to correct it. Then she can include that letter (and any response) in her letter to her representative. Then the rep can ask the military "What are you doing about this injustice?" or "Why are your violating the regs?" instead of appearing to be exerting undue personal influence.
I've written/filed an Article 138. Even though it was ultimately disapproved, the speed with which various "bureaucratic oversights" and "database inaccuracies" were corrected only strengthened our convictions that the system (and its people) were not working on the plaintiff's behalf. Depending on the severity of the wrongs in your friend's case, this may be the way to go.
As for vengeance: There are a few dozen pit-bull lawyers that the military's legal community just does not want to deal with. (Around here it's Charles Gittins & Eric Seitz.) These JAGs, knowing what the pit-bull lawyers are capable of doing to the military's image, are able to either talk sense into obstreperous commanders or to have their bosses straighten them out. In these situations, it's usually cheaper for the military to make things right for your friend than to have to explain to the legal (and media) communities why it just can't possibly be done. Whether or not your friend is able to pay for such legal services, she may want to find out who's the top dog in her area. She could fax them a summary of the issues and ask for an appointment to discuss her solutions. Then if the lawyer can [-]smell blood[/-] find a way to work her case into his agenda, he may be willing to write letters or even pursue action.
But I think resolution is likely to prove far more fruitful (and timely) than retribution.