Iraq, Afghanistan veterans told to repay enlistment bonuses

A decade ago, thousands of soldiers re-enlisted with the California National Guard, then facing a shortage of troops and two wars with no end in sight; they signed up for six years with the promise of upfront bonuses starting at $15,000. Now, nearly 10,000 of those men and women have been told by the Pentagon they received the money erroneously, and must pay it back immediately or face interest charges, tax liens, and wage garnishments.

The generous bonuses were slated for soldiers in high-demand assignments like intelligence and for noncommissioned officers needed in units set to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports. An investigation that began in 2010 finished just last month, with audits finding that in all 50 states, soldiers who did not qualify for bonuses received them. In California, the money flowed more than in any other state, with 9,700 current and retired soldiers told to pay some or all of their bonuses back. So far, $22 million has been collected. "At the end of the day, the soldiers ended up paying the largest price," said Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers, deputy commander of the California Guard. "We'd be more than happy to absolve these people of their debts. We just can't do it. We'd be breaking the law."

Christopher Van Meter, a 42-year-old former Army captain who earned a Purple Heart after he was thrown from an armored vehicle turret after it ran over an IED in Iraq, told the Times he has had to refinance his home mortgage to pay back $25,000 in re-enlistment bonuses and $21,000 in student loan repayments he's been told he shouldn't have received. "The bonuses were used to keep people in," he said. "People like me just got screwed." Susan Haley, a former Army master sergeant deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, has to give the Pentagon $650 a month, one-quarter of her family's income, to pay for her $20,500 bonus. "I feel totally betrayed," she said. Haley and her husband both served in the Army, as did her son, a medic who lost his leg during combat in Afghanistan. She is afraid she will have to soon sell her home to pay back the bonus. "They'll get their money, but I want those years back," she said. Read the stories of other affected veterans at the Los Angeles Times.

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