Army Charity A Disappointment?

It's hard to tell who's at fault here, but it sure is disappointing that groups we depend on to support our active-duty soldiers and veterans can't carry out their duty responsibly.

From an investigation by AP via Yahoo News...

From 2003 to 2007, the charity, also known as AER, packed $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, records show. By contrast, smaller Navy and Air Force charities both put far more of their resources into aid than reserves. Also, more than 90 percent of AER's aid was given as no-interest loans, not outright grants.

Though tax-exempt and legally separate, AER operates largely under Army control, the AP found. Soldiers are squeezed for contributions, often rewarded for them in violation of regulations, and sometimes delayed in transfers or promotions when loans aren't repaid.

And do you know who else does this? The Red Cross. They hoard the donations they receive, pay huge salaries to their executives, and never give direct aid to victims of any emergency. It is not an organization that I will support.