H
Harry Hope
Guest
From The Associated Press, 11/26/07:
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...FeXk3MjI2MzExJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==
Wounded vets asked to pay up
NEW YORK --
Service members seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan after they
received a $10,000 bonus for enlisting are being asked by the Pentagon
to repay portions of the incentive money, says a U.S. senator who
calls the practice an example of military policy gone wrong.
"A bill in the mail is not the kind of present our soldiers deserve in
this holiday season," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. said.
"Our veterans are not being treated with the dignity, respect and
thanks that they deserve. It's just a disgrace."
At a news conference Sunday, he said the policy remained in effect
despite a report last July by a presidential commission that wounded
veterans were being unfairly penalized by a requirement that enlistees
must fulfill their entire term of service or lose a pro-rated portion
of their bonus.
"This policy and early discharge as a result of service-related injury
is now preventing thousands of combat-wounded warriors from getting
the bonuses they have earned," Schumer said.
"This includes several hundred New Yorkers who suffered wounds or
catastrophic injuries before concluding their duty."
He said that when the case of Jordan Fox, an Army sniper partially
blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, was called to the Pentagon's
attention, officials replied that the demand for him to repay $2,800
was a "clerical error" and canceled the debt.
If the Mount Lebanon, Pa., soldier's case was an isolated incident,
there has been no explanation of why hundreds of other wounded
veterans have also received letters demanding repayment, Schumer said.
"When you talk to the Pentagon, you get different answers from
different people," he said.
The numbers of veterans affected by the policy are not known.
Schumer said his office had received several complaints, as had the
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
"Asking wounded service members to repay part of their enlistment
bonuses is an outrage," IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff said in
an e-mailed statement.
"Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is pleased to work with
Congress to put an end to this unfair practice," Rieckhoff said.
"These injured heroes have made enormous sacrifices for our country
and they deserve to be treated with the utmost honor and gratitude."
______________________________________________
Gross, eh?
Harry
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...FeXk3MjI2MzExJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==
Wounded vets asked to pay up
NEW YORK --
Service members seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan after they
received a $10,000 bonus for enlisting are being asked by the Pentagon
to repay portions of the incentive money, says a U.S. senator who
calls the practice an example of military policy gone wrong.
"A bill in the mail is not the kind of present our soldiers deserve in
this holiday season," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. said.
"Our veterans are not being treated with the dignity, respect and
thanks that they deserve. It's just a disgrace."
At a news conference Sunday, he said the policy remained in effect
despite a report last July by a presidential commission that wounded
veterans were being unfairly penalized by a requirement that enlistees
must fulfill their entire term of service or lose a pro-rated portion
of their bonus.
"This policy and early discharge as a result of service-related injury
is now preventing thousands of combat-wounded warriors from getting
the bonuses they have earned," Schumer said.
"This includes several hundred New Yorkers who suffered wounds or
catastrophic injuries before concluding their duty."
He said that when the case of Jordan Fox, an Army sniper partially
blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, was called to the Pentagon's
attention, officials replied that the demand for him to repay $2,800
was a "clerical error" and canceled the debt.
If the Mount Lebanon, Pa., soldier's case was an isolated incident,
there has been no explanation of why hundreds of other wounded
veterans have also received letters demanding repayment, Schumer said.
"When you talk to the Pentagon, you get different answers from
different people," he said.
The numbers of veterans affected by the policy are not known.
Schumer said his office had received several complaints, as had the
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
"Asking wounded service members to repay part of their enlistment
bonuses is an outrage," IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff said in
an e-mailed statement.
"Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is pleased to work with
Congress to put an end to this unfair practice," Rieckhoff said.
"These injured heroes have made enormous sacrifices for our country
and they deserve to be treated with the utmost honor and gratitude."
______________________________________________
Gross, eh?
Harry
