I posted a question about the government asking for money back from soldier that have been hurt...read on?

Question

Injured Soldiers Returning from Iraq Struggle for Medical Benefits, Financial Survival

By BRIAN ROSS, DAVID SCOTT and MADDY SAUER

Oct. 14, 2004 -- Following inquiries by ABC News, the Pentagon has dropped plans to force a severely wounded U.S. soldier to repay his enlistment bonus after injuries had forced him out of the service.

Army Spc. Tyson Johnson III of Mobile, Ala., who lost a kidney in a mortar attack last year in Iraq, was still recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when he received notice from the Pentagon's own collection agency that he owed more than $2,700 because he could not fulfill his full 36-month tour of duty.

Johnson said the Pentagon listed the bonus on his credit report as an unpaid government loan, making it impossible for him to rent an apartment or obtain credit cards.

"Oh man, I felt betrayed," Johnson said. "I felt, like, oh, my heart dropped."

Pentagon officials said they were unaware of the case until it was brought to their

Answer 1

This sort of thing is unconscionable.
I certainly hope they get this one straitened out.
It's a shame that it takes a major news network to bring this sort of injustice to our own governments attention. This sort of thing has happened before and still happens all too often. Our boys need more and better advocates to represent them in such cases. Past and present wars are a testament to the horrible ways in which we have treated our returning men in uniform. Vietnam Veterans suffer to this day........Why do we not take better care of our own? This does not foster patriotism.
Maybe we need another section in the newspapers, highlighting these very unsettling atrocities. We could purchase subscriptions for key politicians and plenty for the Pentagon. Of course it would be a waste of time to get one for the president, because he pays no attention to the news.
As newspapers are not selling very well these days, we should pitch this idea to them. If the papers would print it they could could sell it, and provide a very much needed service. After all, freedom of speech is one of the many important freedoms our brave men in uniform fight for, lets not waste it.
Thanks for posting this, more people need to become enlightened about this type of government inaction.

Answer 2

US Army policy is to allow those people who are separated from service as a result of medical conditions incurred in the line of duty to keep all bonuses that have already been paid.

This appears to have been nothing more than a simple accounting screw-up. In any organization the size of the US armed services you will be able to find stories where some accounting clerk made a mistake.

BTW - about that supposed 'issue' about soldiers in military hospitals being charged for their meals. Here is the real story.

Due to the complex accounting rules government agencies operate under each individual organization is given a budget for meals. A hospital is only given a budget to cover those people permanently stationed at the hospital. As a result the money to pay for food for a hospitalized soldier has to come from the subsistence budget of the unit he is assigned to. The easiest way to actually do this is to give hospitalized soldiers extra pay to cover the cost of their meals, then have them pay for those meals out of that extra money. When done correctly the soldier is not actually out any money (and in fact gains money every time he or she skips a meal).

Of course the media is not going to tell you this because putting a negative spin makes it a better story.

Answer 3

there have been things like that to have happened sinced early on. I hope they get it squared away. somtimes I think they do't take everything into account until it's brought to their attention. Do you remeber when they were charging lunch prices to the vets in the hospital because their salery was supposed to pay for it while on active duty. They called it double dipping. They finally got that changed.