"Sorry you got hurt serving your country, now give us back our money"
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Nov 20, 2007 4:30pm
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Good god, have they no decency at all?
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.
Jordan Fox's case is appalling:
In Jordan Fox’s case, he was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle, causing back injuries and blindness in his right eye. He was sent home, unable to complete the final three months of his military commitment. Last week, the Pentagon sent him a bill: Fox owed the government nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus.
“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,” Fox said.
Updated: John Amato: Jordan is now getting a chance to speak out.
OK, so who really supports the troops? Actually, I hate to talk about the troops this way, use them to further a discussion, but these warmongering freaks (Kristol and his ilk) only make more money talking about war and more war and then attack us as anti-military because we want to get the troops out of Iraq and make sure they get the care they need when they return home. This example illustrates how little the BushCo. team values their service. I wonder how much you'll hear from the nutosphere about this story since the military uses them to spread their war propaganda around...
TP has a quote from Rep. Jason Altmire:
I am heartened by Brigadier General Michael S. Tucker’s announcement of the Army’s policy that it will not ask for repayment of bonuses paid to those soldiers who are injured in the line of duty. However, I am disappointed that the policy does not go further by stating that wounded soldiers will also receive the remaining balance of future bonus payments. It is preposterous for our government to have a policy that says that a soldier who has sustained serious injuries in the field of battle has not fulfilled his or her service obligation.
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'We need the money back to pay off Blackwaters contract.'
I ain't playing the game.
aw come on we gotta save money for Iran.................
Yeah, but he's a phony soldier. A real soldier wouldn't have gotten wounded in the first place. Right, Rush?
Let's be practical here. The Pentagon needs Jordan's enlistment bonus to give to Halliburton. Where Jordan went wrong is that he FAILED to negotiate a no-bid contract for his service to our country, whereas Halliburton did. Too bad, Jordan. You missed out. Better luck next time.
Seriously, though, if Jordan reads these posts, I want him to know I'm glad he finagled a way to get his due, and I hope he can do the same for his military comrades who are also being screwed out of their enlistment bonuses. I also wish him all the best in his recovery.
Well if those damn libruls would just ink another appropriations bill maybe we wouldn't have to resort to this!
"Actually, I hate to talk about the troops this way, use them to further a discussion"..
Don't be. Pointing out the hypocrisies of the Bush Regime that cause Death and Destruction is one's duty.
Peace.
Find the SOB who made the decision to take back the bonus pay and fire/crucify him/her.
what will it take for the amerikkkan people to finally wake up?
i mean...with the daily out rage everyday...how do you NOT come to the conclusion?
impeachment!!!!
William Wallace @ 8:
My wish would be that the SOB be made to cut the grass of Arlington Cemetery. Using a pair of dull hand shears.
Peace
It's just business to the neocon-led military, which was bad enough even before the neocons got their hooks into it.
Kinda like asking Michael Vick to give back his signing bonus. To them---same thing.
Because that's about how they value a soldier.
Didn't Tillman's death(or murder) prove that? Didn't the shitty treatment of every soldier after every war (with the possible exception of WWII) prove the inherent corruption at the top of the chain of command?
I think this is totally reasonable. If you agree to take a signing bonus to do a certain job and then don't do it, you should give back at least a portion.
I mean, that's only fair. What about all the soldiers still in Iraq who were not lucky enough to be wounded and sent home? Those soldiers still have to EARN their bonuses, unlike these layabouts.
We're at war, people. War means sacrifice. Now, if you don't mind, I'm almost at the end of Halo 3...
That was the first time I watched a Fox clip and didn't throw things at the screen.
Well we all know they have no decency but, that aside, do they have no brains? I mean even if you don't give a sh!t about human beings, which they obviously don't, then at least avoid the PR nightmare over a mere $3,000 dollars. Of all the f'n money involved in this thing they are going after $3,000. Hell, just steal more of it from the American people you f'n idiots. It's not like we'd actually do anything about it.
As a veteran I can't really comment here about this since my thoughts abought the draft dodging neocon war pimps like kristol, ledeen, cheney, bush, wolfowitz, pearl, feith, limbaugh, o'rielly, etc involves violence.
ummm that would be about I meant in my comment at 15. Seems to be a lot of anger related misspelling going on lately.
These neo con job guys hate humanity . . . . they hate the fact that they were born gay . . . they hate the earth that made them imperfect in their eyes . . . they hate the earth because it is the context that brings the realization of their own mortality to the forefront.
These guys are just fucked up and dangerous
Terrible @ 15:
coke snorting draft dodging sociopathic homophobic self hating cowards?
Avid Reader @ 18:
Yeah, I was using short-hand.
Bitter Scribe @ 4:
Real soldiers have a 2+ saving throw against IEDs. (snark) (sorry, nerdy joke)
Seriously though; this is just sick shit. I would like to say "I can't believe this is happening" but I'm not surprised at all. I'm to the point of just shaking my head slowly.
Terrible @ 15:
You and me both... while were at it, throw the sperm burping road whores Malkin and Melonie Organ in that trash heap.
JasonS @ 12:
Kudos on the first-rate snarkyism.
Some people are still talking like this hasn't been reversed or called a mistake. Yes, it was an unforgivable "mistake", but at least they aren't going to get their money taken back. That doesn't change the fact that the continued incompetence of this administration is mind-boggling. Just like with Walter Reed, they really don't treat wounded soldiers any differently than a widget going through a factory. These soldiers deserve more.
The part of this story that I have only seen addressed briefly (the Jason Altmire quote) is: What if a wounded soldier has pending bonus payments yet to be made. Will he/she still get those? The Altmire quote implied they will not. But I wonder if anyone has a link to a definitive answer to that question.
What they really need to money for is to bribe the Sunnis and the Shias. Seems that's the only way we can get them to stop shooting us and each other.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7089168.stm
“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,” Fox said."
*cue the muted trumpet laugh track*
"wha wha wha whaaaa..."
This is the reason why all those people are parked outside of Speaker Pelosi's residence. and I hope they stay there until she finely sees the light
StCyrlyMe @ 25:
I don't see what more needs to be done to impeach Bush and Cheney.
What I find to be simply incomprehensible is when Jordan Fox and other soldiers like him return to this country seriously wounded, maimed and crippled and yet their families do not become outraged at what has happened to them and instead meekly accept what their government has done to them. Will they ever acknowledge that their family members have not died and become seriously wounded in the service for their country but that they have instead been used as cannon fodder to justify the lies that they have been told by their government?
StCyrlyMe @ 25:
I am now convinced that Feinstein is actually Lieberman in a dress.
Pelosi seems like pretty much a lost cause as well...
honestly, this brings tears to the eyes. do they have decency. Never. This has to be publicized with the troops so they will finally know the support this admin and this country offers them for their service. They talk a good game about how brave and honorable these men and women are who serve. And as long as there is no sacrifice involved they are perfectly willing to pay them lip service and "use" them. However, when it comes to receiving them back home in adequate hospitals and with adequate counseling and allowing the maimed to keep their signing bonuses, then that's when patriotism ends.
Chris @ 26:
The sky will have to fall first.
Anyone who joins the military these days is an absolute fool.
Is anybodyh REALLY surprised? it fits perfectly with everything else we know about the Pentagon, the administration, and all the fools who make it go.
let's see if the smirking prepschool jackass who lives in the WH has anything to say about this.
Since it's a "signing" bonus, isn't his commitment to the agreement completed when he signs? Regardless, the way they're threating our vets is bullshiat!
to this administration supporting the troops means, a pin on your suit coat, a yellow ribbon on your car, a good photo op while bashing dems and a catchy phrase to stop opposing views.
How petty and inhuman. Our Government has wasted billions upon billions upon billions of dollars on this politically motivated and illegal occupation, they now are shaking down the soldiers that survive this bloody circus for what amounts to nickels and dimes like low-life muggers in a dark alley. What if he had been killed? Would they then demand the money from his family?
Is it any wonder that no one will enlist in the military now.
foolme1ns @ 31:
That's a little too black and white for me.
There are as many reasons for joining up as there are people.
Either way,they DO NOT deserve this kind of treatment.
These are the family values & the supportive overtures for our military that these NeoCon, Christian false profiteers, & Republicans hold dear.
My voting age teenage son once asked why God would let such people, such a president win; I answered him as best as I could. God has his reasons, we must have faith.
I now understand why, the obvious reason was so they would demonstrate their true face; their greed, and their ill founded religious zeal.
Lets us pray that their days are numbered and our votes outnumber theirs.
Amen.
OK, fine, sounds right. They got paid an advance bonus to do a job, they didn't come through. Breach of contract. Ergo, pay the money back.
Fine.
Kristol, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Coulter, Hume, Hannity and the rest of them - they have collectively been paid millions to spin and sell Shock 'n Awe, Saddam was behind 9/11, WMDs, Cakewalk, Mission Accomplished, Democratization, etc.
None of it came to pass. Ergo, they should pay the money back. Or better yet, give it to the wounded troops, many of whom were inspired to join the military by their rhetoric. Am I right?
OT - What’s happening at the NY Times? Not one single word about Scott McClellan’s Bombshell yesterday.
We now officially live in Bizarro world. What if the former White House Press Secretary said the President and Vice President instructed him to lie to America over the Valerie Plame case and the Newspaper of Record pretended it didn't happen??
http://ostroyreport.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 11/ what-is-happening-to-ny-times-no-one.html
***Looks like the NY Times was under strict orders from Rove not to print anything until he gets their talking points in order.
How can anyone feel anything but thorough disgust with this government of ours?
Annoyed Canuck @ 38:
I can get next to that...
As the GOP reduces absolutley everything to dollars and profits, for the bit of money they are trying to recoup, this is a terrible PR blunder.
-->As a human being (speaking now) this is really SCUMMY.
Avid Reader @ 18:
AND WE DO HEAR YOU AVID!!
**I meant Terrible, as in, we do hear you Terrible (but Avid too). (Showing support for the troops here.)
I don't think there is anything to do to stop the war outside of some kind of revolution.
If 76% of the people are against the war, that means 3 people are against it for every 1 for it, how can it keep going on? What does the 'opposition' party need to stop it? Certainly not some wounded soldiers who didn't get their money, since the few thousand who died didn't change their mind.
It's either revolution, or some kind of way to make war not profitable to the powers that be.
I heard this on the Rachel Maddow show yesterday and almost drove off the road. How could one ever send a bill like this to a wounded soldier? Absolutely assinine.
Well, it's a far cry from the old GI Bill... the BASTARDS!!!!
This sounds even shittier than the shitty deal they originally replaced that old GI bill with when I served... I can't recall what they called it now but it was fucking lame.... and this shit is even worse. What next.. Dig up the graves of those who served and died before their service was up and start in on them too, or maybe they'll just stick up their families.. I swear, friggin highway robbery is more honorable then what these fucks in the Bush administration is up to now...
I'm just going to remember this the next time some rightwing asshole wants to run off at the mouth about who supports the troops...JD
Whoa, did anyone just catch Tucker when they went to Willy Geist? There were like people in the studio shouting at each other all throughout the whole segment. Willy looked and sounded kinda nervous. Weird.
Surprised??? ... Why?
Bush didn't fulfill his military obligation and look what happened to him, he became presnit.
Lets face it, bush (lower case intended) and his whole administration have taken this country back to the dark ages.
Fox News on our side???
Someone catch me while I faint...
I'm surprised they didn't bash him and call him a phony soldier for his losses.
HOW DARE HE QUESTION THE HIGHER THAN GOD ADMINISTRATION!
It's called " Supporting the Troops". I guess there weren't enough Magnetic ribbons on those SUV's
cogito_ergo_liberal @ 33:
Good point about the signing bonus. It's not like they quit on purpose halfway through their deployment. Shouldn't they be entitled to every penny of it?
The WH really must miss Rove: Surely he wouldn't have been this tone-deaf to the political atmosphere, the lying sack of sh*t.
bkj @ 45:
Seems to be there isn't much there in the way of an 'opposition' party. Can the the Dems be made into one or do we need a strong third party? I don't think there's much of a way to make war unprofitable for the scum that profit from it at this point. As much as I loath the idea revolution may be the way forward. Watched an intersting documentary last week from 1935 called Dealers in Death about the WWI war profiteers. Not much seems to have changed in that arena.
No, no, no! Y'all 're just not seein' th' bigger picture!....see they are TOTALLY supporting the troops with this policy! If a soldier thinks he will lose his future bonuses by getting blown to bits, he's gonna try that much harder not to get hurt! And he won't get shot a-usin' this here method, ah gare-uhn-tee!!! See? Incentives! Ya gotta give incentives! It's really that simple, you know...combat and...and stuff.
I loves me some Bushco...[sniff!]
Hold on there... Vets have been treated like shit by Washington DC for decades and not all by Republicans... remember the Bonus Army fiasco?
Democrats have an equal/ long history of beating down Vets, underfunding/cutting benefits, closing or failing upgrade of facilities and total lack of support for grassroot outreach groups/ homeless initiatives but, like Republicans, cannot pass up a photo-op with the Troops or a chance to poke opponents in the eye when it serves their mealy mouthed objectives.
Democrats sit on all the appropriations committees so how could this possibly have happened? If this kid would have paid the 3G's no one would've said shit. Where was Jason Altmeyer when this kid was shipped out to the Iraq clusterfuck? Now this weasel's got a free publicity bonanza while our kids are put on display for all the other Democrats to gloat over.
When the true reality of the situation shows Democrats are at the root/enablers/ complicit in our Veteran crisis.
Democrats suck!
And if you wrecked a Humvee, we'll jack up your insurance rates.
Can this ill-gotten misadministration become any more vile, scurrilous and filthy?
There is no decency in this administration or the pentagon. They sent them without proper armor, for godsakes. So, yes, these are just the type of people to exploit those they think cannot fight back. Sociopathy en masse.
what's next the dead have to pay for their own funeral?..
I want 2 know what public sevant decided this policy. I want them stripped of their salary and all benifits (retirement) period!
Dirty Hippie Blogger @ 55:
Yes its become painfully,paaaaiiiinnnfully obvious that the brow beating the Dems have taken since 9/11 has pulled them even further to the right.Real Liberals are continually shut down by these Washington pols...
I cannot think of a better example of what this administration's bottom line is, listen to their words but pay close attention to their actions as the two are diametrically opposed. While I am writing these words the only solution to this and all the other horrors is boiled down to one thing-Impeach the motherfucker(s) now, it is the only way to salvage our democracy, it is all I will work towards, nothing else will happen of any substance until that is accomplished, if it isn't kiss America goodbye.
55
Dirty Hippie Blogger Says: Democrats suck!
Maybe you should finish that and say all politicians suck then you would have covered all the bases but you chose to define democrats which is an indication of the provincial mind incapable of making any statement other than the one you made.
The Cheney/Bush administration needs the money for Halliburton and Blackwater
or maybe another round of tax cuts for the super rich.
What's truly amazing is that anyone not on the board of The Carlisle Group can continue to support Cheney/Bush.
We have 2 problems going on here folks:
1st we have a piece of shit as a president. He was a piece of shit who hid behind daddy's influence to serve 0 days in VietNam, he was a piece of shit who was a miserable academic failure and who run every business he touched to the ground, he was a piece of shit when he funneled tax dollars to his pet project when working for the Texas Rangers, and he was a piece of shit Texas governor who enable the excrement slinging ways of that other piece of shit Rove. And together with those other pieces of shit like Cheney as his VeePee, and Rumsfeld that turd in charge of the defense department. With other unforgettable pieces of shit like Gonzales, Rice, Hughes, Delay, Powell, etc, etc, etc.
And the 2nd problem, is that for the most part... a large percentage of the population has managed to ignore the stench and has tried really hard to make believe that all that dark matter is dark gold.
The US has a history of screwing up its veterans, from the bonus Army day, to leaving tens of thousands of Vets suffering PTSD related mental illnesses on the streets because Raygun and his buddies did not consider providing humane mental health care services to be cost effective.
The only crime in the US has/is/and will be getting in the way or diminishing someobody's bottom line. And if that somebody is connected to the current turd then you are even more shit out of luck. This is not a new development, if only people had been paid attention --as it is their civic duty BTW, enough of making excuses-- rather than use the feel good movie about war or US fuck ups as an excuse to move along and ignore the problem that has always been there.
I feel sorry for these poor bastards. However, people get screwed constantly and they simply take it like good sheep. As the old saying goes: "fool me once shame on you, fool me 10,000 times I need to start paying more attention..."
Ironically, I am sure that plenty of people over at freeper land will be cursing the name of these soldiers who gave limb and life for our country and to defend their right to free speech. I used to remember how that was a classic talking point from the wingnuts: "shut up because you may disrespect the soldiers who are fighting for you right to free expression (ain't that an oxymoron)" It is clear that now that soldiers start to use their own right to free speech they no longer deserve the wing nut lip service...
Right winger and depraved hypocrite should be synonym by now...
Dr. Who @ 65:
As we all know, that quote has been re-written to:
"Fool me once, shame on....shame on you...........You fool me can't get fooled again."
.......we now turn to Major Nuissance spokesman for the Pentagon.........Major will you retract these letters sent to wounded soldiers asking for the return of their enlistment bonus if they are not able to fulfill their duty?
Hell No! Look the situation at the Officers golf course is critical, if we do not recover these funds we will be forced to raise greens fees at Military posts all over the world.
Major, are you suggesting that those funds would be used to offset higher costs of operating officers golf courses?
Well yes, I thought that was what I said, however the funds would not go directly into the upkeep of our golf courses, no they would be freed up from other important expenditures that are strategic to the defense of our country such as paint for rocks, landscaping at the officers club, limosine service for visiting Generals, and who could deny the importance of a good steam room for hatching new strategic battle plans.
Major, I am shocked.....shocked that you cou................Hey listen we have a tee off in 15 minutes and we have a cancellation in our threesome........we could finish this interview over a few cocktails at the 19th hole.....my treat.....whadya say?
HeeHee........what interview..............
Thank you Bush for making the Democratic Party grow stronger.
Then they must be billing the families of the dead soldiers who had the nerve to die before living up to their commitment covered by their signing bonuses, eh?
This is sickening. I wrote Feinstein, Boxer and Watson for an explanation.
Who has the skinny on this?
From yet another 60's hippie.....again, what if these assholes gave a war...and nobody came? We had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Vietnam debacle....but like they point out to ye newbies (at every turn).....you volunteered! Ala "You go to war with the army.........." Hello!....Yeesh. (That should bring out the pseudo, tough guy, right wing bullshit) LOL
Noticed the Faux Noise interview - Steve Douchbag took credit for the over-turning of the decision - Also, Mr. "this is huuuuuuuuuge" - mentioned the help of a congressman - however he didn't name him or the fact that he's a Democrat.....
McClellan doesn't implicate Bush. He just notes he unknowingly passing on false information at Bush's behest.
For all we know Bush could've been used similarly.
Happen to Harding all the time...
Heraldblog @ 56:
LOL. Don't give them any ideas.
Why do people still actually join up??
It can’t be to serve their country, because there country threats them like shit.
They have to be respected… But only for daring to play Russian roulette with their life, so others don’t have to.
In any other part of society this is called “stupid”, but not here..
Yea I know -- wrong thread...
rumsfeld still has that office in the pentagon.
Maddy @ 63:
Maddy you can't possibly be that daft when posting on a free thinking site such as this? Read my whole post not just a one-liner and PLEASE pull your head out from the Donkeys ass.
BTW... Tell everyone here at C&L just how your hero Bill Clinton handled Veterans suffering Gulf War Syndrome then get back to me with the 'provincial mind' BS as if that moniker meant anything to anyone other than you anyway.
O'Reilly will ignore this while attacking Mark Cuban
This won't stand.
I am almost sorry because it would kill off the Rethug party once and for all and we could try to make up for it later. (Understand that I am NOT sorry that it won't stand - these soldiers will get what they deserve in this regard.)
This is entirely too raw for all but the most fanatical Bushies to tolerate and we can expect the situation to be rectified posthaste now that the media have gotten into the act - so I am not as outraged as some here are. Trust me on this - it will be fixed.
If the Dems are smart, it will be a campaign issue anyway. Expect Bush to claim that the refusal of the Dems to hand over another blank check immediately has forced the Pentagon to enforce unpalatable austerity measures.
The response (if Bush is stupid enough to make that claim - what am I saying?) is that Bush is holding the troops hostage and is willing to use them as human sacrifices to his disastrous war policy.
Wow!
This is nuts.
Just FYI - Freshman Altmire represents the district adjacent to John Murtha's and is somewhat of a Murtha protege. Not to diminish his statement, but it didn't come out of thin air.
There's a report at this link http://kdka.com/kdkainvestigators/Iraq.veteran.bonuses.2.592432.html
that says the bills sent to Fox was sent in error. But others have apparently gotten them, too. Hopefully, that will change.
As despicable this is, it's not new. It's just getting attention now because there are lots more injured soldiers, and those soldiers are speaking out. And as much as we may hate the current liar and thief, this isn't the first administration to sacrifice the casualties in order to perpetuate the war. And once the war is over (if ever) and the troops fade from memory, the US will still be littered with the broken bodies, lives and dreams of those who answered the call to duty. As bad as that sounds, we will still be billions of times better off than the poor victims in Iraq.
"ARMY! Be all that you can be*"
*As long as you want to be what we want you to be, and you don't get injured or turn out to be gay or want to have an autonomous life.
Just when I think that could not stoop any lower; they manage to but this one is to the ground. Way too low. This is the same Pentagon that was charging the soldiers for their uniforms if they got their uniforms messed up when getting injured.
Who are these bastards that are making these decisions?
This government disgusts me.
Insiders report that one of Rummy's geniuses left in the Pentagon has just figured out a way to provide more money to pay for more 'Smart' bombs and 'Dumb' generals.
He's proposing that all wounded soldiers be charged with 'Leaving the battlefield without formal authorization', convicted of treason, and shot to death.
His study does a cost/value analysis on the expense of a military trial and the execution (including the bullet), vs. the savings in not providing medical care, continuing benefits, disability pay, retirement, etc., and comes up with a whopping benefit/wounded soldier, of enough money to provide for '1.5 seconds of the Iraq war', or a 'whole Pentagon-Gaggle of Dumb Generals for life'.
The proposal is wending it's way up the Pentagon chain of command, and is due for release as soon as the PR Generals figure out a way to spin it so it sounds 'Army Compassionate'.
You can't even really parody this level of inhumanity.
Lie the country into an unnecessary war, fuck it up beyond all measure, keep the troops undersupplied while siphoning billions to your corporate pals, let the obviously failed war drag on indefinitely to save face, and then when the soldiers come back missing limbs from fighting your boondoggle war blame them for not doing enough and demand they payback their enlistment bonuses.
Jesus Christ. Even Dr. Doom wouldn't run such a heartless and buffoonish operation. There have been James Bond villains with more basic human decency than our leaders. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the f-ing Nazis treated their own better than we do.
Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove are starting to look like quaint naiveté bits of fluff compared to the actual reality of the hateful sociopaths running this asylum.
On Sept. 10, 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared war. Not on foreign terrorists, "the adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy," he said.
"According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions," Rumsfeld admitted.
Dirty Hippie Blogger @ 78:
you're right. clinton is as indifferent as bush is. billary were just better at smiling until the questions went away.
UnEasyOne @ 80:
boosh IS using the troops as hostages and using them as sacrifices. remember his claiming that we should stay in Iraq because of the many who died there?
Enlistment and re-enlistment rates are falling so fast that the Pentagon is adopting a crash program to bolster their manpower. The new plan must 'Be accomplished before the next election, while the republicans are still in control of the Pentagon', according to the new 'Enlistment Rate Improvement Program' brochure.
The basic plan involves awarding incentives of $50K/year for new recruits, and privates re-enlisting, (scaled-up for higher ranks), plus 'The recruit's (or re-enlistee's) choice of any 40 acres in a blue state of his/her choice'.
The Pentagon estimates that this plan 'will have a good chance of meeting our recruitment targets'.
So if you're a democrat, don't get too relaxed in your riverside home or high-rise downtown condominium, you may soon be evicted by a tobaccy-chewing, red-necked, Mississippi felon-enlistee, who has picked your property as part of his sign-up bonus.
Try to be consoled by the fact that you're doing your bit for the 'War on Terrists', Pentagon-style.
You only get the bonus if you don't get hurt? What the hell?!!!! That makes no sense.
Gee, they came back RIGHT AWAY with a 'our bad...just a mistake...' Um, I guess to not look like a sub-human slimeball......Got news for you, this was NO MISTAKE !!
So getting wounded in Iraq counts the same as getting clap in earlier wars, as self inflicted harm?
We all love this new politics of the bottom line don't we?
Doocy: Jordan Fox, who will not be going to the White House Christmas party this year…(laughter)
Awesome, I be sur glad tht Presadunt Bush suport them troops ova in Irak!
Damn phony soldiers crying about having to pay back money. Surely the contract he signed clearly stated that should they have a limb or 3 blown off while serving their country and so cannot fulfill their duties, that bonuses would have to be paid back....
UPDATE:
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.
source:
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/11/21/6245-wounded-warriors-entitled-to-k...
This story has the same insane logic as Joseph Heller's "Catch-22", where the only way to get out of the army is if you're insane, but if you're insane you wouldn't want to get out of the army.
I agree that politicians in general, especially on the national stage, are more disgusting than admirable. But equating the Clinton administration (or ANY previous administration) with GW Bush's tenure is like equating someone using the "N" word with a particpant in a lynching. Proportion matters.
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