Today, AMVETS National Commander Harold Chapman sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter expressing grave concerns that the Pentagon is asking National Guard members to return improperly awarded reenlistment bonuses. The letter stated, in part, that these men and women have done nothing wrong, and are national assets who volunteered to continue serving during the longest duration of ongoing war in our nation’s history. According to Pew Research, during this time we also have the smallest share of Americans serving than at any time since the peace-time era between World Wars I and II, which is less than 1 percent.
This issue is new to public awareness, but not to Congress or the Department of Defense. Our country binds those in the National Guard to an oath to defend this country and their state against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They deserve the same defense and to not have to pay the price for others miscalculations or mistakes, whether intentional or accidental. Commander Chapman asked the Secretary to authorize reparations and to stop collection activities against these brave citizen soldiers.
October 25, 2016
The Honorable Ashton B. Carter
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Mr. Secretary,
Since 1944, AMVETS (American Veterans) has been one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard, Reserves, and Merchant Marine. We are gravely concerned that the Pentagon is asking National Guard members to return improperly awarded reenlistment bonuses. AMVETS understands that last month in California, audits found that 9,700 National Guard members were either not entitled to payments, or that there were errors in their paperwork. The House of Representatives has just launched an investigation into this matter.
We also understand that, in California, the incentive manager was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2011 for filing over $15 million in false claims, and that three other officers were put on probation after paying restitution. In yesterday’s Department of Defense statement it was noted that, “There is a formal review process in place through which affected service members can be relieved of responsibility to repay improperly awarded bonuses. We continue to encourage service members affected by this situation to pursue those reviews and any relief they may be entitled to receive.”
In this situation, this is not an appropriate response, especially when that process takes time, frustration, and may not yield the intended result. These men and women have done nothing wrong, and are national assets who volunteered to continue serving during the longest duration of ongoing war in our nation’s history. According to Pew Research, during this time we also have the smallest share of Americans serving than at any time since the peace-time era between World Wars I and II, which is less than 1 percent.
This issue is new to public awareness, but not to Congress or the Department of Defense. Our country binds those in the National Guard to an oath to defend this country and their state against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They deserve the same defense and to not have to pay the price for others miscalculations or mistakes, whether intentional or accidental. We are asking you to authorize reparations and to stop collection activities against these brave citizen soldiers. If you are unable, we will work with Congress for the same.
Respectfully,
HAROLD CHAPMAN
National Commander