Buzzzed Blog Blue Musings from the Deep Dark Scary South

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Attention! Wounded Soldiers. You Must Give Your Money Back Now! Shame on You for Not Serving Your Full Military Term. Achtung!

Knock knock!

• Who's there?

Just the Pro-War Bushies.

• Just the Pro-War Bushies?

Yeah the ones who want our blood and treasure money returned from injured soldiers so we can give it to Halliburton and BlackWater and our ultra-rich deserving friends and country club learjet buddies (oh yeah and don't forget the Saudis and other OPEC oil-rich terrorist breeding fascist regimes -- we don't promote democracies in those places because it might get in the way of profits).

Yeah, turns out we need more bucks for the TRUE beneficiaries of compassionate conservatism all along.

HA ha HA ha ROTFLMAO -- You thought we really respected you. Suckaz!

Nov 19, 2007 8:05 pm US/Eastern
Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part Of Bonus Back
Reported by: Marty Griffin of PITTSBURGH (KDKA)
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.

One of them is Jordan Fox, a young soldier from the South Hills.
He finds solace in the hundreds of boxes he loads onto a truck in Carnegie. In each box is a care package that will be sent to a man or woman serving in Iraq. It was in his name Operation Pittsburgh Pride was started.
Fox was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye.
A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.
"I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they're telling me they want their money back," he explained.
It's a slap for Fox's mother, Susan Wardezak, who met with President Bush in Pittsburgh last May. He thanked her for starting Operation Pittsburgh Pride which has sent approximately 4,000 care packages.
He then sent her a letter expressing his concern over her son's injuries, so she cannot understand the U.S. Government's apparent lack of concern over injuries to countless U.S. Soldiers and demands that they return their bonuses.
While he's unsure of his future, Fox says he's unwavering in his commitment to his country.
"I'd do it all over again cause I'm proud of the discipline I learned - proud I could so something for my country," he said.
But Fox feels like he's already given enough. He'll never be able to pursue his dream of being a police officer because of his wounds and he can't believe he's being asked to return part of his $10,000 signing bonus.
KDKA contacted Congressman Jason Altmire on his behalf. He says he has proposed a bill that would guarantee soldiers receive full benefit of bonuses.