Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Punished for their service

If true, this is one of the most disgusting things I've heard in a long time.
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.

The Pentagon's shabby treatment of the wounded started soon after the war began when it was reported that injured soldiers were having their pay docked to pay for their hospital meals. Since then it has been one thing after another till this. Each time they say "oops, it was a mistake" and then commit the same type of "mistake" again and again. This kind of systemic callousness is the sort of thing that goes to the top and can only be cured by change at the top.

No comments: