The Pentagon Orders Common Sense To Be Enforced (Kinda)

On Monday, we reported that members of the California National Guard were ordered to pay back enlistment and other bonuses that the government deemed "erroneous over-payments."  The shocking realization came when calls from military families from Barksdale claiming the exact same thing was happening right here in Shreveport / Bossier City!  

I have some somewhat good news, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the suspension of efforts to force California National Guard troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to repay their enlistment bonuses that may have been improperly awarded.  This is not the "stop everything" moment in this crisis that our Service Members deserve, but it is a start!  If you didn't hear the original story, it was reported that soldiers were asked to repay bonuses that in some cases totaled more than $25,000 up to 10 years after the fact.

The furious storm that rightfully followed this story reached the White House where it seems the rubber hit the road.  According to the Associated Press, President Obama had warned the Defense Department earlier this week not to "nickel and dime" service members who were victims of wrongdoing by overzealous recruiters.  The Pentagon picked up the ball and is seemingly throwing the breaks on this initiative.