Enlistment Bonus Letters a LOOOOOONG Mistake

This is a short diary.

From the comments to Kos' diary, it appears that the military has announced that the letter to Jordan Fox asking for the return of his enlistment bonus is a 'mistake'.

A little Google searching suggests that the only mistake is that the Military has been allowing these letters to go out for years - and did nothing about them. More over the fold.

I did a simple Google search:

"enlistment bonus" wounded iraq

It turned up quite a few references from a variety of sources - dating back quite a while.

1. From 2004

2. From 2005

3. From September 2007

4. A week ago

But, for me, the clincher was this exchange in testimony before the Dole/Shalala committee (June 2007) - and Bob Dole's response (my emphasis)

[Ms. Estes]

I have to mention there’s only been one incident that truly has outraged us: the military’s failure to pay Jason the second half of his enlistment bonus.  They’re citing that because Jason was retired, even though it was a 100 percent service connected, he’s not entitled to the remainder of his enlistment bonus.

SEN. DOLE:  He’s not entitled to what?

MS. ESTES:  The remainder of his enlistment bonus.  He got half when he finished basic training and so they owe him the other half right now.  At no time did the recruiter mention that if a soldier is injured in the line of duty, he or she is not entitled to that promise.  That’s just wrong.    

SEN. DOLE:  Yeah, that’s really incorrect.  That’s happened to a lot of them.

MS. ESTES:  Jason did meet his end of the bargain and has forfeited a lot.  The Army should meet their end of the bargain as well.  Another brief concern is the enlistment and deployment forms that are completed by the soldier.  I’m sure Jason did not read all the fine print and it turned out that his initial application had been transcribed incorrectly.  I recognize that ultimately it was Jason’s responsibility to catch the error, but there are a lot of forms and a lot of fine print and up to that point, his biggest responsibility was to get his emergency contact card into school so he could get his locker assignment.  

I'm sure a thorough sweep of the record would turn up a whole lot more evidence that the Pentagon really hasn't given a damn.

•  tip? n/t

  by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:45:44 PM PDT

  •  Imagine the pentagon using the google...heh

    wouldn't that require some kind of "military intelligence"?
    (with apology to George Carlin)

    by Lisa Lockwood on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:50:48 PM PDT

    •  Doesn't Raytheon have a contract for a Google?

      ... or maybe it's Lockheed Martin.

      I'm sure its one them super-secret 'black' projects

      by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:52:59 PM PDT

    •  I hope this update makes the front-page

      This proves that Bush hates our military.

      by DaveinCleveland on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:56:12 PM PDT

      •  The arrogance of Bushco

        

        I guess soldiers wounded while serving their country are expendable.
        Or, as Rummy would say, 'fungible'.

        by Lisa Lockwood on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:16:01 PM PDT

        •  Who is it that comes up with such wicked ideas?

          Let's take back their signing bonuses after they get injured?

          These people have no shame.

          Meanwhile, Blackwater employees get paid hundreds of thousands a year to make messes our military will have to clean up.

          Bush is begging to be thrown in prison.

          by DaveinCleveland on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:21:54 PM PDT

          •  Probably not evil - just lazy and incompetent

            1. Hire contractor to write computer program to administer enlistment bonus program.

            2. Specify that program send letter if soldier is discharged before enlistment is up.

            3. Contractor delivers crappy program. Testing is pathetic. Source code documentation is worse.

            4. Contractor disappears (gobbled up by big fish)

            5. Insane letters are sent to injured vets.

            6. Accounting office can't fix program.

            7. "Aw screw it - we'll just fix the ones that complain"

            I have no direct knowledge, but that would be my most probable scenario.

            by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:27:29 PM PDT

          •  What about the various NG groups

            doing tours one day shy of qualifying for veterans educational benefits, deliberate policy by the DOD to save a few dollars, but cripples a returning NGer who might want to go to college to catch up with their outside careers or get some civilian training to better themselves in civvy street.

            by Ferrofluid on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:41:39 PM PDT

            •  Now this IS evil

              And those NG troops have been deployed far beyond reasonable expectations for NG units - stressing their employers, delaying their promotions and training - and unpn their return, they can't even get the benefits they deserve...to try to be successful in the civilian world they had to leave to fulfull their NG duty?

              That was so unbelievable.  This administration really does do the unbelievable, doesn't it...but not in a good way.

              by blue armadillo on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 05:14:36 AM PDT

              •  Its calculated to save money

                Whatever a persons view on warfare and particular wars, when we send people off to fight in our name and then short change them to save a few miserable dollars, shows utter contempt on the part of the DOD and how little they think of the people they forcible employ, I dont think the standing armed forces, NG or reservists going have much say in the matter of being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

                by Ferrofluid on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 12:44:30 PM PDT

        •  Chess pieces

          While working at a major Swiss bank, a new manager was forced upon us, apparently to destroy the project we had just rolled out (he didn't succeed).

          He treated us all like chess pieces he thought he could push around. When I showed him that I had a mind and will of my own, he had me removed from the board (transfered to another department).

          I found out later that he was a chess Master.

          by Spoc42 on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 02:02:08 AM PDT

  •  Bob Dole sez..

    Bob Dole is home eating oatmeal. Bob Dole is not in the Senate. Have you seen Bob dole's wife lately? Bob Dole's oatmeal is getting cold.

    by Downpuppy on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 06:26:02 AM PDT

    •  huh?

      Your point is ...?

      Bob Dole was co-chair of the commission (along with Donna Shalala) that Bush appointed to review the Walter Reed veterans treatment affair.

      That presumably makes him the most authoritative voice on the subject - and as a Republican, the least subject to a charge of partisan bias.

      His comment clearly indicates that the letters are a pervasive, recurring problem.

      by grapes on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 06:32:44 AM PDT

      •  Oooooops

        Your link wouldn't open so I went ahead & said something stupid.

        by Downpuppy on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 06:38:22 AM PDT

        •  Link is to Word Doc with hearing transcript

          It works for me.

          by grapes on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 06:57:19 AM PDT

•  classic debunking

  Great work on this. Always good to know that the world's largest defense budget couldn't find room for an internet connection and one idiot in the PR wing who knew how to use it...

  by scardanelli on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:00:05 PM PDT

  •  Oh, I think they have LOTS of idiots in PR wing

    They seem to do damage control about the same way they do nation-building.

    by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:03:14 PM PDT

    •  Pretty much typical

      SNAFU. (old military accronym for Situation Normal-All Fucked Up)

      by Lisa Lockwood on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:05:11 PM PDT

      •  Also FUBAR

        Fucked-Up Beyond All Redemption.

        Both are often to be found shortly after WTF?!

        by Spoc42 on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 02:04:19 AM PDT

    •  Doesnt the DOD doing PR work

      for government policy fall foul of the Hatch act!
      Under US law 100% separation of political and civil service is the golden rule.

      by Ferrofluid on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:43:31 PM PDT

      •  PR isn't necessarily political

        Smokey the Bear's campaign against forest fires was pure PR, but not favoring any political party. It may possibly have been a bad land use practice, but it wasn't political.

        That sort of PR appears to have been OK.

        I don't really have a problem with the Pentagon doing PR to make their best case.

        It would be nice, though, if they actually had a good case to make.

        They don't.

        by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:47:31 PM PDT

        •  But civil servants follow orders

          Doing PR campaigns to promote extreme policy like a war is crossing the line.
          Esp when its an illegal war of aggression :|
          There must be a fine dividing line between WW2 Pr campaigns like "why we fight" to the modern Pr stuff like 'Islamofacists are going to invade the US and eat our babies' !!!!! this is the line put out by Faux and most RW pundits following themes from on high.

          by Ferrofluid on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:53:58 PM PDT

      •  Hatch Act of 1939

        http://en.wikipedia.org/...

        The most restrictive measure was brought about by Republicans in the Senate. It dictates that persons below the policymaking level in the executive branch of the federal government must not only refrain from political practices that would be illegal for any citizen but must abstain from "any active part" in political campaigns.

        Theres a whole slew of civil servants who have fallen foul of this over the last 6 years, DOJ is prob the most prominent visible area.
        But one thing that caught my ear a while ago was some Pentagon PR office being set up to do marketing of war policy, definitely falls under the political in my mind.

        by Ferrofluid on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:49:36 PM PDT

  •  Wonder how long it will take

    the MSM to come up with the same info it took Grapes a short time to find.

    (((( crickets chirping ))))

    by Lisa Lockwood on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:07:10 PM PDT

•  Add to this

  all those who have been billed for missing armor and other equipment after they've been blown up. Paperwork SNAFUs like this:

  The Army's failure to record separation paperwork in the pay system and  other payment errors resulted in over $12,000 of debt for one severely battle-injured soldier. Although the soldier's family expected that he  would receive retirement pay when his Army pay stopped upon his  separation, the soldier had no income for several months while the Army  attempted to recover his military debt. As a result, his family was  unable to pay household bills, the utilities were shut off, and the  soldier's dependent daughter was sent out of state to live with  relatives. In addition, although the soldier had been receiving treatment at an Army medical center and a VA polytrauma center over a 5-month period, the day the soldier was released to go home, his Army  unit called his wife to ask why he was not reporting for duty--an  indication that his Army unit had considered him to be AWOL.

  Hundreds of Battle-Injured GWOT Soldiers Have Struggled to Resolve
  Military Debts:

  http://www.gao.gov/...

  And my personal favorite, when they sent out the reenlistment offers to those who were KIA.

  by operculum on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:31:51 PM PDT

  •  They have live satellite coverage of Iraq ...

    But they can't tell which of their soldiers are in hospital.

    I really hate incompetence - when it so callously and uselessly trashes good peoples' lives.

    by grapes on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:38:09 PM PDT

•  Mr. Bush:

  It appears that you have been derelict in your duties as Commander in Chief.

  You thus owe the American government the salaries you have received over the past 7 years.

  If payment is not forthcoming we may pursue collective action.

  sig

  The American People.

  by tecampbell on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:35:06 PM PDT

•  Good diary

  If I could suggest one small improvement, I'd suggest that you link to the Kos diary that you refer to, so that those of us who come to this diary without the benefit of having previously read that diary can find it easily. Perhaps it would even be best to quote a bit of it.

  by skymutt on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 12:36:41 AM PDT

  •  Thanks - done n/t

    by grapes on Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 05:51:52 AM PDT