DoD's Use of Condolence Payments in Iraq & Afghanistan

[redbullets]

Thanks, Tequila. That is the one I was referring to.

I know of an organization that makes payments to civilians in the war zones who have had property damaged by ongoing US military operations. I queried one of the organization's personnel three or four years ago concerning how, in a place like Afghanistan, one could distinguish between damage caused by coalition warplanes, Taleban on a punishment tour of a village, or one of the numerous, previous conflict periods. The answer was not satisfactory. There is an effort afoot to structure this like the manuever damage payments made to German farmers. Certainly some stabilization value in this, if handled properly, though its difficult to control once any gravy train gets rollin' down the tracks.

Cheers,

[Stone]

Part of my function as a contracting officer while deployed is training individuals on the proper use CERP funds in these situations. This not something anyone hopes for, however sooner or later property damage or collateral damage will occur and someone has to make the payments.

[TheCurmudgeon]

I had to make a solatia payment after one of my LTs misread a situation and killed a passenger in a taxi that was taking a woman to the hospital. We were in Tarin Khot on a road construction project that required us to work outside the wire everyday. News of the shooting spread throughout the town and by the afternoon a crowd had started to gather outside the FOB. Luckily we had some friendly SOF guys on hand with cash. Making the payment and making it quickly turned what could have been a bad situation into a non-issue. So I am a big fan of using them.