«
»

Military Asks Wounded Soldiers To Return Bonuses

Posted 23 Nov 2007 in call to action, Hillary Clinton, military, outrage

This is an outrage.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.

To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases.

Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.

One of them is Jordan Fox, a young soldier from the South Hills.

He finds solace in the hundreds of boxes he loads onto a truck in Carnegie. In each box is a care package that will be sent to a man or woman serving in Iraq. It was in his name Operation Pittsburgh Pride was started.

Fox was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye.

A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.

“I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they’re telling me they want their money back,” he explained.
[...]
While he’s unsure of his future, Fox says he’s unwavering in his commitment to his country.

“I’d do it all over again… because I’m proud of the discipline that I learned. I’m proud to have done something for my country,” he said.

But Fox feels like he’s already given enough. He’ll never be able to pursue his dream of being a police officer because of his wounds and he can’t believe he’s being asked to return part of his $10,000 signing bonus.

Contrary to Hillary Clinton’s and John Edwards’s shameless use of this story to further their anti-Bush partisanship, this isn’t a political issue. This should be an AMERICAN issue. It’s something that politicians (and voters) of all stripes should be able to agree upon: We MUST respect and honor our soldiers service and commitment. And asking them to return money that was given to them as an enlistment BONUS is reprehensible. When professional athletes are sidelined with injuries, they might not receive future paychecks due to their inability to fulfill their contract, but their signing bonuses are paid regardless. We should do no less for the men and women who volunteer to protect this great nation. These men & women have been injured in the line of duty. If anything, they deserve to be paid MORE for their sacrifices, not less.

I urge you to join me in contacting your elected representatives to remedy this affront to our soldiers.

Posted by FullMetalPatriot
12th gen. American, Constitutionalist, Harley-riding Texan, gun owner & NRA member, blogger, illustrator, Florida Gator alumnus. #TCOT

Leave A Comment