Veterans forced to repay enlistment bonuses

[karlac]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-national-guard-bonus-20161020-snap-story.html

<opinion> While there is always more than one side to any story, no need to look further than the current administration, corrupted by politics and self interest at every level, to be disgusted by this.

With all that is coming to light these days, it is no longer surprising, but damned sad nonetheless, that these politicians and their bureaucrats have convinced themselves they can overpay an American soldier to risk his/her life to do their dirty work. </opinion>

 

[4x4kayak2112]

Talking about a wall of text......anyone just explain why?


Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[AustinN4]

Saw that on another site. Infuriating!

"Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war"

 

[needtosell]

asked to repay under-paid wages to begin with! could not agree more with your comment!
dis-respectful to say the very least!

 

[jrbfishn]

I don't have much sympathy for people that California, but those involved in handing out those bonuses should be going to prison. Not going after the soldiers unless they can show fraud on their part.

from an idgit coffeeholic

 

[AustinN4]

I don't have much sympathy for people that California, but those involved in handing out those bonuses should be going to prison.

At least one did.

 

[karlac]

I don't have much sympathy for people that California, but those involved in handing out those bonuses should be going to prison. Not going after the soldiers unless they can show fraud on their part.

Agree about California, but it doesn't make any difference to me where the guy standing next to me in the military came from.
Nothing like this would have happened without tacit approval up the chain of command.

My problem is with the idea that they now figure they paid a soldier too much to risk his fucking life.

 

[Mike1234567]

Enlisted are not Officers... they never were considered as important. Less training for a successful future life... denied many of the same benefits (ENTITLEMENTS). Overall Enlisted do very well compared to the rest of the country but many are royally screwed... and none do was well as the officers.

No, I never served. But I worked for the AF and the Army for nearly a quarter century with much of my time seeing first-hand what they do at near the very top. Enlisted mean less to the Officers... and Civilians far less. That's just the way it is.

 

[karlac]

Enlisted are not Officers...
No, I never served. But I worked for the AF and the Army for nearly a quarter century...

Stateside, and never in a combat situation, right?
That said, and generally speaking, what you observed is the well known fact that the higher you go above Field Grade, the more the politician than the soldier.
Wont argue with that ...
But, read the article and you'll see that both officers and enlisted were included in the payback.

 

[majormadmax]

Enlisted are not Officers... they never were considered as important. Less training for a successful future life... denied many of the same benefits (ENTITLEMENTS). Overall Enlisted do very well compared to the rest of the country but many are royally screwed... and none do was well as the officers.

No, I never served. But I worked for the AF and the Army for nearly a quarter century with much of my time seeing first-hand what they do at near the very top. Enlisted mean less to the Officers... and Civilians far less. That's just the way it is.

Where in the **** do you get all that?!? I was both enlisted and commissioned, and while there is a distinction between the two your claims are so far off the mark it's ridiculous...

And my total time in and around the military has past 35 years...

Lastly, while it's fun to blame this all on Obama, he had absolutely zero to do with this situation. Those affected are part of the California National Guard, so it would be up to Governor Jerry Brown to rectify the situation, not the Federal government!

 

[karlac]

"Now the Pentagon is demanding the money back"

 

[majormadmax]

"Now the Pentagon is demanding the money back"

Yeah, that's the LA Times for ya; but the truth is that it is a state issue as clearly delineated throughout the article...

 

[jrbfishn]

Good luck with getting the state to pay it back. They are already worse than broke.

from an idgit coffeeholic

 

[Mike1234567]

Where in the **** do you get all that?!? I was both enlisted and commissioned, and while there is a distinction between the two your claims are so far off the mark it's ridiculous...

And my total time in and around the military has past 35 years...

Lastly, while it's fun to blame this all on Obama, he had absolutely zero to do with this situation. Those affected are part of the California National Guard, so it would be up to Governor Jerry Brown to rectify the situation, not the Federal government!

As seen as an 'outsider' Civil Servant working for the Commanding Generals of the Army MEDCOM facilitating VTCs every day with all their top Commanders.

 

[shortround]

Where in the $#@! do you get all that?!? I was both enlisted and commissioned, and while there is a distinction between the two your claims are so far off the mark it's ridiculous...

And my total time in and around the military has past 35 years...

Lastly, while it's fun to blame this all on Obama, he had absolutely zero to do with this situation. Those affected are part of the California National Guard, so it would be up to Governor Jerry Brown to rectify the situation, not the Federal government!

Damn right!

Having been both enlisted and commissioned, I got better treatment as a soldier than the snot-nosed junior officers above me.

We were first in line at the chow hall, sick call, and on the firing line. Officers had to wait to draw their gear while we got priority for deployment.

When we screwed up, an experienced NCO put the fear of God in us, but the clown officer got nicked on his Officer Report Card. We did not get "fired" unless the CO had enough to put us in jail.

An Article-15 was expected up to grade E-4. For an Officer of any grade, an Article -15 was the kiss of death.

Enlisted up to the rank of Staff Sergeant did not have to up go before a centralized promotion board like officers did, and all of us had a "local" file that the First Sergeant managed.

The First Sergeant had lots of discretion over what could be put into the Soldier's official 201 file. I know plenty of Article-15s that "got lost in the shuffle".

In the end, this is a California National Guard problem, not a U.S. Army problem.

Not surprising for a corrupt State like California.

Be well.

 

[AustinN4]

In the end, this is a California National Guard problem, not a U.S. Army problem.

Then why is the Pentagon demanding their money?

 

[majormadmax]

Then why is the Pentagon demanding their money?

That is what the LA Times is claiming, doesn't mean it's true...

 

[Vaquero]

Then why is the Pentagon demanding their money?

I reckon, if it was the Pentagon, it wouldn't just be California.

It don't have to make sense though.

 

[karlac]

Then why is the Pentagon demanding their money?

Decide for yourself:

"Though they cannot waive the debts, California Guard officials say they are helping soldiers and veterans file appeals with the National Guard Bureau and the Army Board for Correction of Military Records, which can wipe out the debts.

California Guard officials in Sacramento say federal law bars them from wiping out the debts, insisting that only the Pentagon can do so and that it may require an act of Congress.


“We didn’t have authority to waive any debts,” Col. Peter Cross, a spokesman for the California Guard, said Sunday.



IOW, paid for with Federal funds, by the National Guard Bureau, an agency of the Pentagon, and at the direction of the Pentagon, which made the funds available, and it is the Pentagon that is demanding repayment by the soldiers, and the only ones who can forgive the debt.


Hmmm ... sounds like the Pentagon, eh?
And, they all have the same Commander-in-Chief ... go figure.

I reckon, if it was the Pentagon, it wouldn't just be California.

It don't have to make sense though.

"The National Guard Bureau, the Pentagon agency that oversees state Guard organizations, has acknowledged that bonus overpayments occurred in every state at the height of the two wars."


Doubt seriously this would have happened under anyone but a liberal prez, arguably hell bent on emasculating the military.

Now apparently congress is getting into the act.

And not just the LA Times:

http://www.military.com/daily-news/...uardsmen-ordered-pay-back-bonuses-report.html

 

[AustinN4]

Now apparently congress is getting into the act.

Good! Although I hope it turns out better than the Benghazi hearings did.