Military Says Bonus Letter Was A 'Mistake'

[RamboLiberal]

Source: KDKA TV

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.

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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.

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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.



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

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Yeah right it was a mistake. :sarcasm:

[babylonsister]

1. For pete's sake. They thought they'd give it a go until enough people

complained? A mistake? I just find that hard to believe.

[OregonBlue]

31. For those soldiers who did pay it back, I wonder where the money went? Bet it went straight

into some guys pocket, not the budget. I think Congress ought to pursue this.

[sam sarrha]

2. only mistake was they got caught

[Sabriel]

3. They've turned into a sleazy insurance company

Our Motto: "Deny All Claims!"

[saigon68]

17. They are Criminals

Support the troops my ass

Cheney and his thugs don't give a fuck for any one but their own rich friends

[indepat]

32. Enough to make one wonder if the entire administration is a vast RW criminal conspiracy?

[acmavm]

34. You have doubts????

[saigon68]

35. No doubts here

A more vile coterie of thugs hoodlums and maniacs hasn't lived

Since the reign of Caligula

[conspirator]

36. "insurance company" that's the right term. When it's time to pay you find out how crooks they are nt

[babylonsister]

4. Please recommend this! Kick! nt

[natrat]

5. yea they can steal billions,assasinate a bookeeper who uncovers it but they cant give a lousy 3k to

maimed soldiers-frauds just like the rest

[yardwork]

6. It was a mistake, all right.

[kestrel91316]

7. LIAR. It wasn't any frickin' "mistake". It was a "deliberate".

They are only backpedaling because they got caught trying this crap.

Did they HONESTLY think they would get away with it? That word wouldn't get out on the internet and have it come back and blow up in their faces???

[armodem08]

26. Exactly.

It's just like those troops who had their orders signed for one day less than it would take to qualify for the GI Bill. Mistake my ass. These are deliberate actions that hurt the troops.

[Breeze54]

8. The incompetence is amazing!

:grr:

K & R'd

[Berry Cool]

9. These vets deserve an abject apology at the very LEAST

for being treated as if THEY are the ones who owe the country!!!

[Barb in Atl]

10. Whatever happened to....?

The military personnel that were billed for damaged body armor? Remember a year or more back there was talk about that? Did they offer a mea culpa then, too? Or did it just disappear down the rabbit hole? This reminded me of that - and the fact that I hadn't heard anything about the bills for medical attention and meals at ...(can't remember the name of the base) for a while.

(edited for technological wankmanship)

[rocktivity]

11. I remember the story about the bills for their hospital meals, too

I read they got that straightened out. And there was also one about their being flown one of to two U.S. military bases, and they'd have to fly home from there at their expense.

:headbang:
rocknation

[fed-up]

12. thanks for posting the story earlier so those "pre-nursing home" bloggers could set things straight

here our own California Dem Party Staffer, Bob Mullholland seems not to care for those that don't care for his buddy, war whore, DiFI

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3743448

thepurpose (752 posts) Tue Nov-20-07 04:48 PM
Original message
Censure of Sen. Feinstein fails: Party staffer Bob Mullholland calls bloggers and activists “worse

than Bush” and “pre-nursing home
Let’s start with the good news first, even though there is plenty of bad to come later, given the disgraceful behavior of California Democratic Party staffer Bob Mullholland, caught on video. In just five days, over 33,000 Americans, 90% or more Californians, joined the Courage Campaign call for the California Democratic Party (CDP) to censure Senator Dianne Feinstein for her pivotal votes to approve Judge Michael Mukasey as U.S. Attorney General and Judge Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals. These Americans were joined by the Courage Campaign, MoveOn.org, Progressive Democrats of America, CrooksandLiars.com and over 40 Democratic Clubs and progressive organizations from across California. With a week of non-stop organizing, this movement changed the conversation of the entire meeting of the CDP Executive Board.

[Tom Sullivan]

13. I have no respect for any member of the Pentagon

Every penny they steal at gunpoint (try not filing a return) is stolen from us to profit their corporate masters. There is not a single general who has shown any respect for our soldiers. If a general is at work at the Pentagon he/she is supporting for permanent war for permanent profit.
Its too bad our poorly educated, economically stranded youth are too lacking in critical thinking and truthful information to realize their recruiters and President lie, lie, lie.
The only reason this soldier just seconds ago got his bonus back is because of the publicity that shows the Pentagon and the U.S. Government to be the horrible and greedy bottom feeders.
I am ashamed. The Pentagon is a disgrace to this country and those who serve.

[Laelth]

27. Welcome to DU.

... and, let me add, nicely said!

:dem:

-Laelth

[Mythsaje]

29. Let me add my own welcome to DU...

And you're right on the money.

Support the troops, but screw the leadership.

[lostnfound]

14. The article seemed to imply that it wasn't an isolated case.

So much for "mistakes".

[rocktivity]

15. Oh, cut the crap--this has been going on for YEARS!!!!

This is hardly the first time I've read about this on DU. Keith Olbermann said there were thousands of others, and took strong exception to the demand letter stating that there was "indebtedness" owed: "You jackasses! YOU owe THEM!"

:headbang:
rocknation

[tanglefoot]

20. That was sweet, wasn't it? God I love KO.

Going on for years is right. They do what they can get away with and no less.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. They tried to get away with it and got called on it.

[benny05]

18. they scared this poor soldier

and only backed down when there was enough attention about it. This administration is disgusting.

[rockybelt]

19. Mistake?

Murtha got it right. Despicable!

[FREEWILL56]

24. Oh it is more than 1 mistake

and it starts with bush and goes on to cheney, rove, rice, rumsfeld, powell, gonzales, etc., etc. They are the mistakes that stand and not our soldiers. I can't wait to see our coward in chief's impeachment.
edit to add:
Welcome to DU.

[Solly Mack]

21. Not the first time this has happened - won't be the last either

outrage will die down and folks will feel as if it was handled (just like ALL the OTHER times before) and then there will be another high-profile case and it all begins again...

[Tom Sullivan]

23. It will happen again I agree because...

there are thousands of soldiers going through this repayment of bonuses after being wounded. Only they don't get the publicity. Public attention is the only thing that makes the Pentagon do the right thing.
And as much as I like Olbermann he can't feature all the soldiers and make things right one GI at a time.
Lets make the Pentagon a Veterans Hospital. That was the plan after WW2.
Instead the fascist war corporations led our generals and government with greed and they sold us out.
By all accounts its only going to get worse.

[rhett o rick]

22. A mistake like this needs someone to be fired above the rank of private. nm

[tuckessee]

25. Somebody tell them the Invasion of Iraq was a mistake too.

Maybe they'll undo it as well.

[magellan]

28. The Pentagon had to "take a look" and oops, it was a "mistake"?

It's only THE department entrusted with defending this country, and it expects us to believe it was unaware it was sending collection letters out to American vets wounded in the very military operations it's running?!? And now it wants the opportunity to make a wrong a right?

I have only one question: WHICH WRONG WOULD THAT BE?

The stink of Bush** is all over this. He and his Repug cabal of despicable, shameful, lying MFers who don't give a shit about the country, or the troops/vets, except as victims to shake down for every last penny they can squeeze out. And when they're caught they claim it was all some terrible mistake.

GOD DAMMIT, when is someone going to stop these bastards?

[POAS]

30. But they are learning from their mistakes so that

they don't happen again....so just SHUT UP!

:sarcasm:

[JPZenger]

33. Not an Isolated Incident

This problem was described in an ABC story over 15 months ago:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=1894152&page=1
---
Or this story from earlier this year, on NPR, about a wounded soldier named Sgt. Hinkle who faced financial ruin and the loss of his family's farm because of the Army's screwups.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14360278

"In addition, last week Hinkle was notified by the finance department at Fort Carson that a $3,000 enlistment bonus will not be honored because "he failed to fulfill his contract" due to his injury in Iraq."

[timtom]

37. Whoops! (Tee! Hee!)

Our bad...