Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part Of Bonus Back
Reporting
Marty Griffin
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.

It's a slap for Fox's mother, Susan Wardezak, who met with President Bush in Pittsburgh last May. He thanked her for starting Operation Pittsburgh Pride which has sent approximately 4,000 care packages.

He then sent her a letter expressing his concern over her son's injuries, so she cannot understand the U.S. Government's apparent lack of concern over injuries to countless U.S. Soldiers and demands that they return their bonuses.

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 cause I'm proud of the discipline I learned - proud I could so 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.

KDKA contacted Congressman Jason Altmire on his behalf. He says he has proposed a bill that would guarantee soldiers receive full benefit of bonuses.


source:
http://kdka.com/kdkainvestigators/military.signing.bonuses.2.571660.html

:bullshit:thumbdown:flip

I hope that isn't a real story..

Ya I'm sure this is a twist to it somewhere.... :) I hope it's not true...

:mad

It's true...

thats bullshit, fucking bastards

Damn!!

I sure hope this doesn't happen. I can't imagine how it could...

What a crock........thats some BS there.

It's true...

Damn... wtf... that's f**ked up... :confused

When I did my 6 year AF enlistment I got a $7,000 bonus and was told I'd have to pay it back if I didn't do my full enlistment. But I would've never thought in a million years that if someone deployed and got hurt to the point they had to be medically discharged they'd STILL ask for that money back. That's just wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start.

When I did my 6 year AF enlistment I got a $7,000 bonus and was told I'd have to pay it back if I didn't do my full enlistment. But I would've never thought in a million years that if someone deployed and got hurt to the point they had to be medically discharged they'd STILL ask for that money back. That's just wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start.

Unfortunately, when signing the contract, you agree to give up your rights to the US Military. It's in there, believe it or not. Is why we can't protest against the President. The UCMJ prohibits it. There's many more things similar to this happening in the military...this doesn't shock me at all.

When are you out Mark?

Unfortunately, when signing the contract, you agree to give up your rights to the US Military. It's in there, believe it or not. Is why we can't protest against the President. The UCMJ prohibits it. There's many more things similar to this happening in the military...this doesn't shock me at all.

:imwst At least if they get wounded and discharged, they get disability.. (in most cases)

Someone who deployed at got wounded to the point where they can no longer serve has made a greater sacrifice than someone who served their entire enlistment but never deployed or had to make any real sacrifices. They've earned their enlistment bonus and then some.

mark i know of the ucmj and those rules, but this is BS. I can't believe they would want part of it back because of this. I'm in shock...I could understand if the person voluntarily left the service, but for ANY involuntary reason they shouldn't have to pay shit back.

thats pretty fuggin cold of the govornment...:mad

I had a similar incident myself. Not due to an injury, but because I was discharged early due to a family hardship. When I was given word I was being discharged, I was also told that if I wanted to get full benefit of my GI Bill, I'd have to come up with $700 so that it's complete. I did, and ensured it was paid and received before I was discharged.

When I went to VoTech on the GI Bill, I was told everything was good and I had full education benefits. Just shy of one year of college, I received a letter that my GI Bill would run out the next month. I fought it, and promptly lost. Was told to never look into it again by both the college and the VA. I got out of it exactly what I put into it: $1,200 dollars.

Ironically, the next year, I went to get a copy of my records (service and medical). I was told they couldn't be found. I checked back again multiple times over the next month or two. I was told the same thing: Don't inquire about them anymore.

I was told by someone outside of the VA and anything related to the gov't that were was a fire where they kept many of the records. But, that happened after I had inquired about the GI Bill and records.

Not as shitty of a situation as what they're doing to our injured soldiers. But, given the crap i went through, I can easily see them doing it. BTW, this isn't the lawmakers doing it. It's the top brass and military doing it. Something about them over extending the carrot to lure people in, then once they found out they don't have the budget for it find any way to get out of it.

BTW, there's a huge case going on up here in MN about Guardsmen/women being screwed. They were deployed longer than anyone else overseas and they're getting jacked because they were shy one day of max. While it is the military, and it's a contractual obligation, it still sucks.

I'm not real sure about the bonuses, I can tell you how the medical process works for the Air Force. Anyone who is determined to be unable to perform their duty meets a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB). The MEB is made up of physicians who review the patients records and determine if the person can return to duty or not. If they determine they cannot return to duty, they determine if the person is paid a retirement or a lump sum severence. Typically lump sums are determined by the base pay times the number of years in service times a multiplier up to 3. Example, if I were MEB'd as a result of a BI, my lump some amount would be ~$195K (3590x18x3), they would never pay this amount, so they would give me a pro-rated retirement. Which would be 45% of my base pay a month for life. This is figured because we earn 2.5% per year towards retirement after 20 years and start at 50%. They simply subtract 2.5% per year for every year you did not serve. Pretty simple.

For them taking back a bonus upon discharge, I'm not really sure. Maybe they subtract the amount that they did not serve on the contract from the amount they were awarded by the MEB.

Jim

Military Says Bonus Letter Was A 'Mistake'
Reporting
Marty Griffin
MT. LEBANON (KDKA) ―

A KDKA investigation is getting national attention and results for a wounded soldier from Mt. Lebanon and perhaps thousands of others.

The Army ordered Jordan Fox to return thousands of dollars in bonus money because his injuries prevented him from completing his tour.

When in Iraq, Fox survived machine gun battles and a roadside bomb that knocked him unconscious and blinded him in his right eye.

The injury forced the military to send him home. A few weeks later, he received a bill from the Department of Defense. He owes the military nearly $3,000 from his original enlistment bonus because he couldn't fulfill his tour.

"I tried to do my best and serve my country and unfortunately I was hurt in the process and now they're telling me that they want their money back," Fox told KDKA.

KDKA contacted the Pentagon. Investigators there took a look. A short time ago, a military spokesman told KDKA's Marty Griffin the bill sent to Fox was a mistake.

Griffin: "You are taking this case on involving Jordan and looking into it?"

Major Nathan Banks, Army spokesperson: "We are. We are ... definitely working it out. We have seen where the problems have been made, the system, and we're just making - you know, give us the opportunity to make a wrong a right."

Major Banks says Fox will not have to pay back his bonus. Fox says "fine," but he wants more.

"Hopefully this will turn into change for not only me but many other soldiers that have lost limbs, you know, become permanently deaf," he said. "I hope to see a change for everybody."

The Pentagon will not comment on allegations that thousands of other soldiers just sent home from Iraq and other invasions, including Afghanistan, will not receive these sorts of bills. They cannot comment on those cases.

KDKA has learned that our local congressional delegation, as well as both Pennsylvania senators, are demanding answers. We're also being told they are pressuring the President to get involved.


http://kdka.com/kdkainvestigators/Iraq.veteran.bonuses.2.592432.html

I hope they do make an honest effort to fix this..

the Military is a joke now, has been for quite some time :fact

:pisson the admin piece of shit that has done this.

the Military is a joke now, has been for quite some time :facti dont think the military is a joke. i was in for 12 1/2 years during the period where we went from reagan to bush sr then the dork clinton. bureaucrats and staff pukes ruin aspects of the military. the people with boots on the ground continue to serve in an honorable way. (except the high ranking individuals then its hoorah for me and fuck everyone else)

the Military is a joke now, has been for quite some time :fact

not hardly, my friend. the military is more streamlined and effective now than it's ever been. gotta think how many soldiers have seen action in the last 5 years, and actually done their jobs. sounds strange, but militaries exist to fight wars. all four branches of the military may be stretched a bit thin, but most everyone has finally put the trades they were taught to do to work. the experience level is HIGH right now.

of course, i can't speak for the people that administrate and employ the military, but things never last forever. :mrgreen

FTP............:old

Look, I did my 4 yrs just recently...i am speaking from a standpoint of getting a shitty assignment, horrible AFSC (mos), and just plain politically overwhelming BULLSHIT for me. I think i coulda had a better experience if i would have been somewhere different, and actually had a job that wasn't boring as fock. We had to pretend to do import things and be important...if anyone on here has been in the Air Force for Maintenance under Air Combat Command then you know what im talking about! Guys that have loved the Air Force while being under USAFE absolutely love it. Then when the come back to the states they are mostly miserable.

O and don't think for a second that i don't respect Enlisted troops, i simply have a problem with the system in whole and how focking political it is. Way too much bullshit for me

+1 that is so Wrong!
Just think of the reason why they are injured!
and than shove it up Bush's ARSE! :old

Guys....STOP the madness :whiteflag

Just a misunderstanding.

This story is straight from us.army.mil/news


Wounded Warriors Entitled to Keep Bonus Payments

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 21, 2007) – Soldiers who become ill or are wounded while on active duty are entitled to keep all recruitment bonuses due them.

The Army reiterated that policy today, after a Wounded Soldier inadvertently received a letter from the Army that stated he would be required to pay back any enlistment money he received.

“If you are ill or were injured while on duty, the Army will not ask you to repay any portion of your recruitment bonus,” said Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker, assistant surgeon general for Warrior Care and Transition. “This money will stay in the hands of our Soldiers.”

Army policy prohibits what is described as “recoupment” when it would be contrary to equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the nation’s interests. Those circumstances include, for example, “an inability to complete a service agreement because of illness, injury, disability or other impairment that did not clearly result from misconduct.”

The Army is looking into the specifics behind former Soldier Jordan Fox, who was injured while serving in Iraq. Mr. Fox told news media he had received a letter from the Army stating he would be required to repay a $3,000 enlistment bonus.

The general said Soldiers who have received letters from the Army asking for repayment of a recruitment bonus should contact the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline to report the issue as soon as possible.

“If there’s a problem, we are going to fix it,” Brig. Gen. Tucker said. “We are committed to honoring our Warriors and Families in transition.”

The hotline is staffed by subject-matter experts 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help speed the resolution of issues pertaining to wounded Soldiers and their Families. Callers will receive responses within 24 hours. For those who reside within the United States, the hotline can be reached at 800-984-8523.

Soldiers and Families may also call from overseas assignments via the Defense Switch Network 312-328-0002 and within the U.S., 328-0002.

Guys....STOP the madness :whiteflag

Just a misunderstanding.

This story is straight from us.army.mil/newsthanks phil

:thumbup

i was pretty disappointed even though im not in anymore

Guys....STOP the madness :whiteflag

Just a misunderstanding.

This story is straight from us.army.mil/news

sorry phil.....backpeddling is not a "fix" for a misunderstanding....

i've got friends that this happened to....and there wasn't a fix at the end of a phone line.

Unfortunately, when signing the contract, you agree to give up your rights to the US Military. It's in there, believe it or not. Is why we can't protest against the President. The UCMJ prohibits it. There's many more things similar to this happening in the military...this doesn't shock me at all.

One solution could be to put the bonus in a high interest bank account that you will not touch for the time that your contract runs, so at least you'd get a little bit in terms of the interest money if shit was to happen.

I dunno, but the bonus money was money you didn't have to begin with so putting it aside for uhm safe keeping you'll have your ass covered in case they want it back, or if you complete your contract you have money you can use for something useful.

its horseshit!!! one of the reasons for the term "POSTAL":mad