Re: Do you think POW's deserve monthly compensation? This just HAS to be a trick question.
Not only should they have their pay and all applicable allotments sent to their next of kin but should have an amount equal to their base pay put away for themselves that they recieve when they are released and free to enjoy it. If disabilities were incurred by the POW while in captivity his/her pay should continue until full recovery is achieved from those disailities. Reparations from the offending government should also be available to released POW's to pay for any injuries that they may have suffered while in captivity. Reparations would also be paid to the tending doctors and medical facilities necessary to bring the former captive back to full health. If that medical care is given through the VA or US Government medical system those reparations should be paid to our government.
It should also be noted that too many times in the past has the US government won reparations through treaty aggreement but we have failed to collect.

Re: Do you think POW's deserve monthly compensation? It depends. On a number of various sets of circumstances that have as yet been "undefined". How long was the individual interned as a POW? One day? One Week? One Month? One Year?, etc, etc? What were the circumstances of his/her surrender or capture by the enemy forces? I totally agree that IF any POW captured and/or involved with any surrender "ordered" by a superior, or set of conditions that may have prevented needless loss of life should receive any and all benefits that are earned by combat wounded veterans or recipients of medals for heroism on the battlefield. No more, no less.

Regulations are already in place within the Code of Federal Regulations to currently provide POW's with benefits and medical care and survivors benefits that are NOT as extensive and readily available to the majority of military veterans now.

I don't think that a "blank check" mentality of awarding monetary "compensation" should be applied to every single, individual case of a military veteran who may have been "classified" as a "POW" without some sort of thorough and complete investigation of their capture, surrender and length of internment.

Re: Do you think POW's deserve monthly compensation? How about this idea instead...since our government feels free to issue debt-forgiveness to debtor nations, writes blank checks for pork barrel projects here at home, has no problem raising its own pay, & bails out and gives tax relief to corporations, why not just ask the VA to interview each POW/MIA who turns up a) to determine the circumstances of their absence, and b) find out what exact kind and level of financial assistance they and their family most needs immediately to get on their feet...and give them that without years of dickering? What a concept...
Bluehawk