Military makes injured soldiers return bonus

This is the type of story that almost makes me wish I didn't read today's news.

To boost enlistment, the U.S. military gives bonuses to new service personnel that in some cases can be as high as $30,000. But now - under Bush - the military is demanding that wounded personnel pay back much of these bonuses if their injuries prevent them from serving their whole commitment.

Thousands of America's soldiers are returning home from Iraq without arms, legs, or faces, many of them permanently blind, and some of them having had their fingers or genitals amputated because they were so badly injured. But now these brave men and women are being ordered to repay much of the bonuses they received when they signed up.

A Pittsburgh soldier who was permanently blinded in one eye told a TV station, "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."

The bonus is supposed to serve as an incentive to enlist, but doesn't having to pay it back defeat this whole purpose? Now any potential recruits know they'll just have to give the bonus back if they get injured, so the bonus obviously doesn't serve as much of an incentive now. Can't the military keep its word to those who sign up to serve the country?

What's next? If a soldier gets killed, does the military make their relatives pay back the bonus?

If the wingnutosphere was so pro-troop, they'd be raising high hell about this. But nope. Maybe they will now, now that I've called them on it.

(Source: http://kdka.com/local/military.signing.bonuses.2.571660.html)