what utter stupidity and callousness.

On the screen the patriotic message was clear: Join the service and get great rewards (no, not the 7 virgins in heaven) but a college education, government loans, and all kinds of technical skills that just might increase his income after he came home a hero. Wow! Pride, strength, honor! Cool! A big fat sign on bonus too. A way to get out from under the bills. Help the family. Secure the future. It was presented like a video game with lots of action, Rambo, Spiderman. It was better than car chases and CIA intrigue movies. It was his chance. A big chance to be noble, to be brave, to protect all the people in the USA. It was enough to make him choke up.

Fast forward to the battlefield: Exploding bombs, enemies opening fire, a searing pain, a call for help, the smell of his own blood, and then blessed rescue from almost certain death.

Fast forward to recovery: The joy and pride he felt when the President of the United States called on his mother. The growth of the organization he started that would send boxes of goods over to Iraq. The President gave him a medal for starting it. He had a purpose driven life. He had done what his country had asked of him. Would do it again in a minute.

Fast forward to the present: He opens his mailbox and pulls out an official looking letter. Another award maybe? A check he hadn't expected to help him through difficult financial times? He rips it open. He reads the letter, but his brain just doesn't compute. They want him to pay back part of the sign-on bonus he received when he joined? $10,000? The say he is "indebted" to the US Government? But isn't it the other way around? Isn't he the hero the president said was owed a debt of gratitude for his sacrifices? Reading on he realizes thousands of other Vets will be faced with the same demand. Yeah, like they were friggin' deserters or something for not fufilling their sign-on requirement. But no one said anything about the possibility of life-long injuries back then?

No one said anything about pay-back back then.

No one said anything.

You think their actuaries included wounded vets in the analysis to determine how much would actually have to be paid out?

A bill (H.R. 3793) has been introduced by Rep. Jason Altmire (PA) to correct the issue and enable the combat-injured vets to keep their bonuses. I'm not sure it should be limited to "combat-injured" vets. Define "combat-injured". Either way, contact your representative to support this bill.

So far the following Representatives from Tennessee have not yet signed on as co-sponsors:
Blackburn, Marsha, Tennessee 7th
Davis, Lincoln, Tennessee, 4th
Duncan Jr., John J., Tennessee, 2nd