The Pentagon has reneged on an offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years.
The tax-free bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. At the time, the bonuses were touted "as giving Soldiers in theater who are thinking about getting out another reason to stay in the Army."
“Some people who are sitting on the fence ... are now re-enlisting for the money,” said Sgt. 1st Class David H. Owen, retention noncommissioned officer for the New York National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division at Task Force Danger, Iraq.
And with no end in sight for the Iraq War, the military seemingly needed any advantage it could find to reverse a recent recruiting shortfall.
But three months later, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped — supposedly because it duplicated other bonus programs offered. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, confirming the bonuses had been canceled, said she didn't know whether they would have to be repaid. Sort of goes against the whole "be all you can be" concept, huh?
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Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a leading Capitol Hill critic of management of the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Tacoma News-Tribune she didn’t know why the bonuses were dropped.
“This is outrageous,” the senator said in a telephone interview. “It makes me angry that this administration has broken another promise to our troops.” Murray told the newspaper that, upon learning the bonuses were no more earlier this month, she wrote Thomas Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, asking that he reverse himself and reinstate the bonus program.
But Krenke said the Pentagon would have no comment on Murray’s letter to Hall.
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This item first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's B.S.
Ed:LisaM
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Seems to me that anybody who enlisted for bonuses promised under false pretenses can also now state that their re-enlistment is void for the same reason: a voided, fraudulent contract. Typical Bush/Rumsfield.
2 - Dave Nalle
I can't find any indication anywhere that those who were paid the bonuses or enlisted under the bonuses - with a legal contract guaranteeing the bonus - aren't going to get their money. As far as I can tell, they're just stopping the program for futurer reenlistments.
As usual, a nothing story with an attempt to turn it into an unmerited smear.
Dave
3 - Nancy
If that's all, then it is kind of pointless; but it does state that Lt. Col Krenke said, "the bonuses would have to be repaid" which implies people did sign up w/the understanding they were entitled to the bonus, actually got paid the bonus, and now the Pentagon wants the money back.
4 - wayne
It always amazes me that whenever something stupid happens with the Pentagon budgets all of the moonbats come out and say its the President or the SecDef.
Look, all of this budget crap is decided by a bunch of idiotic bureaucrats and Congress.
First off, its almost always some seat-warming a**hat that figures he can get a promotion by screwing over the troops using some obscure rule in the Pentagon Encylopedias of legalese jargon and BS to take away something that was promised to people.
There is a huge culture in the Pentagon budget office that exists only to benefit the human hemhorroids warming desk chairs. Somebody does some creative accounting thusly creating a surplus in some obscure budget and getting his little trophy for cost-cutting and a promotion.
Failing that some Congressional mafioso decides that his reelection campaign needs a boost and the money gets redirected to his district instead of to keep the soldier alive or his family in food and housing.
Somewhere else some real American Patriot soldier either gets his pitiful benefits cut for himself or his family so his wife has to find foodstamps or he doesn't get the peice of gear he needs to keep from getting turned into hamburger.
The greatest enemies the citizen soldier has are the bureaucrat angling for a promotion, the US Congress, and the journalist vying to prove he is the sum of all evils.
At least the soldier gets to off the occasional journalist. Too bad certain Congressmen or Pentagon scumbags don't find themselves on the field of battle.
5 - David R. Mark
wayne: "It always amazes me that whenever something stupid happens with the Pentagon budgets all of the moonbats come out and say its the President or the SecDef."
actual story: "the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped"
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Wayne, although you're use of the word 'moonbats' suggests your opinion isn't dependent on the facts at hand.
6 - David R. Mark
Dave Nalle: "I can't find any indication anywhere that those who were paid the bonuses or enlisted under the bonuses - with a legal contract guaranteeing the bonus - aren't going to get their money."
Dave, do you have any indication anywhere that the story is wrong? Becuase it seems pretty clear that the Pentagon paid some bonuses for some people who re-enlisted, but does not plan to pay bonuses for other people who re-enlisted.
Furthermore -- and to correct Nancy -- the spokesperson said she didn't know whether bonuses that were paid out would have to be repaid.
Here's the issue: The Pentagon stopped the program because it was duplicative. Didn't they know that when they offered the program?
And if you are a soldier who, as Owen suggested, got off the fence and re-enlisted to get the tax-free bonus, then subsequently was told that this specific bonus isn't happening (even if the soldier could potentially find another bonus program) wouldn't that soldier feel the Pentagon was in breach of contract?
I don't have to remind anyone how much money $15,000 tax free is to a working-class family, or a younger soldier's spouse/significant other/children.
7 - David R. Mark
Dave Nalle: "As usual, a nothing story with an attempt to turn it into an unmerited smear."
It's not a nothing story to those affected, and you have provided no evidence -- as usual -- to defend your position that no soldiers are affected.
Sorry that you don't like to read negative news, Dave. Some of us care when there's evidence their government has lied to them. Some of us believe "support the troops" is something more than an empty slogan.
Now, of course, if you have evidence the above is wrong, feel free. I'm guessing you don't, though, because your tendency is to make unsubstantiated charges against me which ultimately take the form of "I don't like reading negative things about the Bush Administration."
I'll stick with the Pentagon spokesperson's confirmation and the Senator seeking a reversal of the policy as proof the story is true.
8 - Nancy
Thanks, David M.; I knew I'd somehow misread something there.
9 - Dave Nalle
David, those who reenlist sign contracts - have you heard of contracts? These contracts specify the terms of their reenlistment including bonuses associated with their reenlistment. If they don't get the bonus then the contract is void and so is their reenlistment. It won't take a genius lawyer to get them their money and/or damages as well as out of the contract, so the Pentagon is unlikely to try to actually renege on their contractual obligations.
BTW, I've looked this up. There's hardly any news coverage of it for very good reason. There's no story here at all. It's just a bit of grandstanding by Sen. Patty Murray of Seattle - pure partisan Pentagon bashing. The bonus program was cancelled way back in April, and according to the Pentagon no bonuses were actually paid out, so they can't exactly ask for repayment.
The fact that it appeared in a single newspaper in the Senator's home town and just about nowhere else, 6 months after the actual event, should maybe twig you to the fact that it's just a bit of grandstanding, but since that doesn't serve your purposes you choose to take it seriously.
It's not that I don't like reading negative things about the Bush administration - not that this has ANYTHING to do with Bush - it's that I don't like seeing utter crap like this presented as if it were a story with any validity to it just to perpetuate your partisan smear campaign.
Dave
10 - David R. Mark
I don't make a secret of it that the Pentagon reneged on the program in April. You obviously clicked on the link I provide, which includes Murray's comments.
This only was revealed this week, which is why it's "news." It's not like the Pentagon put out a press release saying, "oh by the way, those tax-free bonues we talked up in January -- not happening."
And the Pentagon spokesperson, again, is the one who says she doesn't know whether any money would have to be repaid. Don't kill the messenger, please.
I didn't claim this had anything to do with Bush, btw.
11 - A Military Technician
Bottom Line, we Military TechnicianS, do deserve bonuses as well. While deployed oversees~~~~ We are serving in the capacity of a SOLDIER! Why not get soldier benefits?? Yes, this is NEWS, as I am researching the benefits for another Military Tech, who deserves their bonus as well! There's hardly any news coverage, because of knowledge, it doesn't affect many, therefore who cares??
Thanks David Mark, for your SUPPORT!
12 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
When you're broke, you renege on promises. This is a painful reality of life. America is BROKE.