Fayetteville, NC – When a soldier voluntarily re-enlists in the military and receives a bonus for doing so, the government demands it be repaid if that warrior is wounded in battle and unable to remain in the service. This is the current policy and not everyone agrees it is the right policy. Fox News is reporting that Jordan Fox – a soldier injured and partially blinded by a road side bomb in Iraq. Not only is he disabled and not able to pursue his intended career as a police officer when he finished his enlistment, but because he was injured and left the service three months short of his commitment, the government wants him to repay three thousand dollars of his signing bonus.
Congressional Candidate, Army Reserve Major and Iraq Veteran Will Breazeale joins NC Rep. Walter Jones and others in calling for an end to the practice. That policy, which also calls for repayment of such bonuses if the service member leaves the service for other reasons prior to the fulfillment of the enlistment term, has no exemption for members unable to continue due to injuries in the line of duty.
"This should change." Breazeale said “Say a young soldier re-enlisted, got married and used the bonus to qualify to buy a home for their future family. Then he deploys, is seriously wounded and discharged. Is it then fair for the government to say they are taking back the bonus? I don't think so! These warriors have fulfilled their commitment!”
Breazeale is running for the NC 7th district which extends from the Amy's Fort Bragg to the Marine Corps Camp LeJeune in southeastern North Carolina. Rep. Jones, whose district includes LeJeune to USMC's Cherry Point, is co-sponsoring HR 3793, also called the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act, to make this change.
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Paid for by Breazeale for Congress
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