As some of you know, I have friends were both overseas in one of the -Stan countries in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  While they were both over there, they had what they thought were good family friends taking care of their two boys.  The mother just came home this past weekend.

Here's what we've found out these people have done while my friends were deployed:

- They let relatives stay in my friends house, no permission given.
- They took both boys to a psychiatrist (sp), no permission given.
- Spent $5K in 2 months and then independently of each parent, asked for and received, more money.  Total spent was $10K while they had the boys from late Jan. to last weekend, less about one month the boys stayed with us (i.e. about 5-6 months).
- Never canceled the newspaper but took it home for them to read at my friends expense.
- Allowed their 14 year old boy to drive one of my friends cars.
- Didn't take care of the yard as agreed to and $ provided.
- My wife went over to their house this weekend and reported that the house is a dump.  She also found out that they have been living their +5 years and they rent the house.  In other words, they are trash people.

The mother left first in mid-Dec. and her husband left about a month later, unplanned, and it was he that made the arrangements with these people.  Apparently, he didn't know them as well as he thought (primarily through the Boys Scouts).  Also the mother wanted the boys to come down here and stay with us, but the husband decided to have them stay with these people.  

As you can imagine, this whole situation has created a lot of problems between my friends, I don't know what the end result will be.

Comments from other veterans?  Anything I and my wife can do to help?

Please advise.

Thanks,

Merlin

With friends like those, who needs enemies in stanville! In situations like this one sure can tell who his real friends are. You're right, they're nothin' but trash. I suppose all you could do is shame them. Just tell them what a$$ holes they are for taking advantage of friends who were off doing their duty.

USNvet,

What bothers me is that with over 76 readers, only one person thought that these people's behaviour was reprehensible.  I'm surprised at the lack of response.

I'll have to check with my wife on the current status:  The mother was scheduled to go over to retrieve their car, the Blue Star Banners that their 2 boys had received from the local Veteran's group and other sundry stuff.  It will be the first time that the mother will have seen where her son's had been staying while they were away.

Thanks,

Merlin

oh, we're offended by this, fear not. these people are obviously scum. sadly, this is how you find out who you can trust. equally sadly, there is nothing the rest of us can do.

Report them to the CID on base and get their rear duty chain of command to contact them and tell them of the situation.

how about reporting this to base Family Services? believe it or not, they have a responsibility to remedy the situation as the boys ARE military dependents! and you as their friends have the responsibility to report this.

deployed service members should be able to concentrate on their jobs overseas without having to worry about what the fuck is going on in the homefront. do your part as friends.

Latest update:

The person that is borrowing the car came over to my friends house the other day to return some stuff.  One of the items that she did not bring was the Blue Star Banner's that the boys recieved while they were staying with us.  My friend was so surprised that she didn't know what to say and didn't.

The father came home last night and apparently had no clue what had happened while he was gone.  I suspect the mother has clued him in and it will be interesting to see what he does to correct the situation (i.e. retrieve the car, get all of their belongings etc.).

Later.

Merlin

Yup, it's a damn shame for sure!  These type of events happened on every deployment I ever took part in.  If those "people" are subject to military regulations, then follow that route.  If not, then go through the civil authorities, take pictures and get a lawyer.

If the service members signed a general power of attorney, then they just have to suffer the outcome.

Seems like to me the Family Care Plan wasn't that good. Partly fault of the parents.