Injured soldier forced to pay for body armor will get refund

[sabra]

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4475269&nav=1TjD

Injured soldier forced to pay for body armor will get refund

CHARLESTON, W.Va. Officials say a former Fort Hood soldier injured in Iraq is getting a refund after being forced to pay for his missing body armor vest.

Medics destroyed the nearly 700-dollar Kevlar vest because it was soaked with the soldier's blood.

First Lieutenant "Eddie" Rebrook the fourth had to leave the Army with a shrapnel injury to his arm after being seriously hurt in early 2005.

But before his discharge last week, the 25-year-old says he had to scrounge up cash from his buddies to pay for the body armor and other gear he had lost.

more from E&P

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001993858

UPDATE: Story on Wounded Soldier Who Had to Pay for Body Armor Gets Results

NEW YORK A story in the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette yesterday, later featured in an E&P article, stirred up a hornet's nest -- as well as thousands of dollars in donations.

West Virginia's two U.S. senators, Jay Rockefeller and Robert Byrd, asked top military leaders Tuesday to explain why 1st Lt. William "Eddie" Rebrook IV apparently had to reimburse the U.S. Army $700 last week for body armor and other gear damaged after he was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The military officials said it sounded like an unusual case, but they would look into it.

More than 200 people donated at least $5,700 to Rebrook after reading about his body armor payment to the Army in an article by Eric Eyre. The vast majority of it came after a popular blog, AmericaBlog, called for and collected funds, but others also contributed via the newspaper and a local radio station.

Rebrook, 25, who attended West Point and was medically discharged from the Army last week, said he wouldn't keep the donations. He's paying back the people he borrowed from to take care of the $700 bill, and also passing along the money to charity and a Louisiana woman who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina -- the woman's son helped save his life in Iraq, he said.

[tanyev]

1. What a hero! Using the extra money to help others.

Salute! :patriot:

[benburch]

2. And all the other wounded forced to pay for lost equipment?

I'm betting they will still get fucked up the ass with no reach-around.

[Solly Mack]

3. Liars. It's not unusual for this to happen

I know people it's happened to...and unless the soldier makes a stink - the army gets away with it.

[Suich]

4. Eddie Rebrook is my hero!

Hat's off to him for donating the money collected on his behalf to charity!

:patriot: :yourock:

[Canuckistanian]

5. Randi talking about this right now n/t

[yellowcanine]

6. Then they should send a bill to Rummy for all of the destroyed equipment

as a result of his dumb ass tactics.

[The Wielding Truth]

7. Send the bill to Halliburton. Bushies want a competitive free enterprise.

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. Vast majority of donations came from Americablog. But but but...

freepers support the troops. Surely there's a mistake in that story. Surely it was freepers who made the vast majority of donations. :sarcasm:

[chaumont58]

9. From Americablog:

Just pulled this from Americablog.com:


Body Armor Update: Just mailed off a check for $5400
by John in DC - 2/08/2006 03:40:00 PM


I just mailed a check for $5400 to 1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV in West Virginia. That's the total amount of money you guys donated over 2 hours yesterday (see my previous posts on this topic here and here).


God damn it, sometimes good things can happen!