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Editorial
Veterans should not be forced to repay costs of war
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Despite America being involved in foreign conflicts for decades, the war protests that marked the 1960s are absent for the most part in the 21st century.
What's the difference?
We'll leave it to sociologists, psychologists and other academics to answer that question, but the obvious answer is the simplest:
The draft.
We still have compulsory registration with the Selective Service, but no one has actually been conscripted into the military since 1972.
But an all-volunteer military comes at a cost. Yes, the ranks are filled with patriotic young people, but a disproportionate number of military personnel are those who have a limited number of other financial options.
It is costly to recruit soldiers for military service, especially when we're involved in an actual "shooting war."
The National Guard found that out when it was struggling to meet recruitment goals during the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The California Guard responded by offering bonuses of $15,000 or more for soldiers to re-enlist.
A federal audit in 2010 found that thousands of bonuses and student loan payments were improperly paid out to California Guard soldiers, and about 9,700 current or retired soldiers have been ordered to repay some or all of their bonuses.
More than $22 million has been returned so far, including people like Christopher Van Meter, a former Army captain and Iraq Purple Heart recipient who had to refinance his home mortgage to repay $25,000 in re-enlistment bonuses and $21,000 in student loans the military says he should not have received.
It's an extreme example, but only one of the worst examples or ways our veterans are abused or neglected after serving their country.
Through no fault of their own, they are being penalized for volunteering to disrupt and endanger their own lives.
Veterans who accepted bonuses and student loan payments in good faith should have improper payments forgiven and those who have already repaid should be reimbursed.
Yes, it will be costly to the public treasury, but it's an expense that should finally be recognized as part of the true cost of war.