Army Put In The Hotseat For Asking Wounded Soldiers To Return Sign-On Bonuses

November 21, 2007 5:02 p.m. EST

Pittsburgh, PA (AHN) - A soldier who returned home from Iraq early after being struck by a roadside bomb was asked to return nearly $3,000 of his sign-on bonus for not fulfilling his commitment to the Army.

Jordan Fox says a few weeks after returning home, he got a bill in the mail from the Department of Defense, saying he owes them for the three months he failed to serve.

"I tried to do my best and serve my country and unfortunately I was hurt in the process and now they're telling me that they want their money back," Fox told CBS station KDKA-TV.

Brigadier General Michael Tucker, deputy commanding general of Walter Reed, appeared on Fox News shortly after the soldier's story appeared, saying that "army policy is that soldiers who are wounded in combat or have line of duty investigation injuries... we will not go after a recoupment of any bonuses they receive." He said the "error" is under investigation.

However, Fox newscasters say that since they aired the story late Tuesday, they have gotten numerous calls from watchers, claiming that they, too, were forced to return sign-on bonuses after being wounded in combat.

The Pentagon canceled Fox's debt Wednesday, but he says that isn't enough. "Hopefully this will turn into change for not only me but many other soldiers that have lost limbs, become permanently deaf," Fox said. "I hope to see a change for everybody."

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) introduced a bill last month that would require the Pentagon to go a step further and pay bonuses to wounded vets in full within 30 days after discharge for combat-related wounds. "It is preposterous for our government to have a policy that says that a soldier who has sustained serious injuries in the field of battle has not fulfilled his or her service obligation," he said at a press conference Tuesday night.