Soldiers still waiting for bonus promised before the election

Published on February 23rd, 2009

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The Pentagon has not started complying with a law requiring the payment of monthly bonuses of up to $500 to soldiers forced to remain on active duty beyond their enlistment period.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman acknowledged the five-month delay in paying the bonuses and said the Defense Department is working on a plan to start paying the almost 13,000 soldiers currently under the Army’s stop-loss orders. Although Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to end the policy, the number of soldiers affected has risen since the middle of 2007.

Congress added $72 million to pay for the bonuses in its plan for the budget year that started Oct. 1. The money was to be paid after the Pentagon submitted a plan outlining how the payments would be made.

But no plan has been provided by the Pentagon.

Do they think no one would notice?

13 users responded in " Soldiers still waiting for bonus promised before the election "

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# 1 god said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 pm

McCain supporters in the Pentagon are still sulking.

# 2 Named said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm

“Do they think no one would notice?”

I think they realize that they can’t get back without help anyway, so why rush the payment!

# 3 amodedoma said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm

10% of the troops over there have done more than their share, if laws are passed to compensate them they should be carried out. I’m sure the pentagon isn’t very happy with this congressional interference. Once you sign your military contract you gonna do what they want, when they want, and for as long as they want. They don’t need to pay bonuses.

# 4 . said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:42 pm

It’s called a bureaucracy. It took the military 6 months to get me the bonus that was in my contract. They aren’t trying to not pay them, they just have a bunch of public school educated people working at DFAS. Also refered to as Obama supporters.

# 5 sargasso said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm

Try this in other armies, and they sell their weapons, food and ammunition to the enemy combatants.

# 6 dusanmal said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Anyone seeing parallel with the WWI veterans, their promised bonus-equivalent and their protests during the Depression era? Will there be a Veteran march to the Capitol?

# 7 chuck said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm

“after the Pentagon submitted a plan outlining how the payments would be made.”

How about this for a plan: send another palette of $1 billion in cash to Iraq, and let the soldiers divide it up among themselves.

# 8 deowll said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 4:57 pm

I say put the man in charge, the person who bears ultimate responsibility, the commander in chief, in the stockaid until these people get their money.

Uh, wait that is Obama.

# 9 jbenson2 said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm

With Obama in charge, the military can kiss any bonus money goodbye.

# 10 Li said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 9:50 pm

Obama is in charge?

Strange, I though our new President was named Goldman Sax.

Not sure where I got that impression.

# 11 deadpixel said, on February 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 pm

while you’re in the army you get treated like shit…everyday. i dealt with 14 years of it so i know.
you make next to nothing for pay, MANY of my friends who were also in had to be on welfare to support their families. there just wasn’t enough housing to take care of them all.

now this? FTA

# 12 Alex Wollangk said, on February 24th, 2009 at 5:35 am

#4: “they just have a bunch of public school educated people working at DFAS. Also refered to as Obama supporters.”

DFAS was FUBAR long before Obama… I was in the Navy in the late 80’s and early 90’s and my pay was borked more often than it was right.

# 13 eaze said, on February 24th, 2009 at 9:45 am

“Do they think no one would notice?”

Obviously they aren’t expecting these soldiers to live long enough to fight for their money.

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