Military Invention Only Worth $1000?

[LadyTevar]

February 17, 2008
'54 dog-tag suggestion worth more than $1,000, veteran says


CANVAS - Fifty-four years after Ray Pepalis first suggested that the military start printing RH factors on dog tags, U.S. Army officials have finally given him recognition for the idea.

Sort of.

Military bureaucrats put a value of $1,000 on the idea Pepalis believes might have saved thousands of lives over the past few decades.

"It's insulting," the 75-year-old Nicholas County man said from his home in Canvas. "To say that my suggestion was adopted in all the armed services and then give me $1,000 is a slap in the face."

Pepalis was an army corporal serving with a military police battalion at Fort Knox, Ky., in 1954 when he first suggested the army put RH factors on soldiers' dog tags. At the time, dog tags included a soldier's blood type, but not whether the blood had a positive or negative RH factor.

Dog tags - the metal identification discs all soldiers wear around their necks - now include RH factors. Pepalis came up with the idea after he and other Fort Knox soldiers were called upon to donate blood to help the victims of a major accident near the facility.

Accident victims were brought to the base for medical treatment. Many died as Army doctors went scurrying among potential donors trying to match blood types.

Pepalis wondered how many might have been saved if RH factors were simply printed on each soldier's dog tags. In November 1954, Pepalis shared his idea with Army bureaucrats through the Army Suggestion Program. The program provides for monetary rewards for soldiers who come up with ideas that save the military money, improve Army technology or save lives.

Initially, both Pepalis and his idea were rebuffed. Early in 1955, the Army sent Pepalis a letter thanking him for his idea, but saying the army would not be implementing his suggestion. Pepalis wonders if military officers weren't ashamed they hadn't thought of the idea themselves.

However, the military started including RH factors on dog tags during the Vietnam War.

Still, Pepalis got no official credit for the idea. Last year, he wrote to Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., to see if he could get some recognition for his suggestion.

Military officials finally recognized Pepalis' contribution late last year. Using a compensation table from 1969, when the military started putting RH factors on dog tags, they decided the idea was worth $1,000.

Pepalis said he isn't concerned so much about the money, but thinks his idea should be worth more than $1,000.

"A thousand dollars in 1969 would have bought half a pickup truck," he said. "If I had invested that money, it would be $7,000 or $8,000 now."

But isn't $1,000 better than nothing?

"A thousand dollars is not better than nothing ...," Pepalis said. "It's the principle of the thing."

Jessica Stanton, a spokeswoman for Rockefeller, said the senator has been told how Pepalis feels. She said Rockefeller is looking into whether Pepalis should get more credit for the idea.

I think it's more 'about the money' than he's letting on, but still, only $1000 for the idea when it took them 40 yrs to recognize him for it?

[B4UTRUST]

It's typical of the military IDEA program. Anyone can submit the paperwork and try to get something pushed through that will save the military money, manhours, lives, equipment, etc.

It's sad he's getting fucked like this though. We've got a guy in our shop who does dozens of them a year and makes thousands of dollars from it. I've done one or two myself and gotten nothing dispite instituting changes in systems that saved the AF hundreds of man hours

[Cpl Kendall]

Give him the Meritorious Service Medal or it's predecessor if it's from before the cut off date, I believe it's for this sort of thing.