Will that be cash or credit card?

It should come as no surprise that the American armed forces are stretched pretty thin as a result of the Iraq war. That’s simply one of the drawbacks to having a volunteer army.

So the army provides enlistment bonuses to encourage young men and women to sign up, knowing they might wind up in combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. In some cases the enlistment bonus might be as high as $30,000; an incentive for putting their ass on the line in the service of their country.

But what happens when a serviceman doesn’t fulfill his commitment and winds up being discharged early? Well, they have to pay back a part of their enlistment bonus. That’s fair, isn’t it?

Or is it?

The U.S. military has been, apparently, demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back all or part of their signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments. Soldiers who have been seriously wounded and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.

Jordan Fox, for example, was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and he lost all vision in his right eye. He was sent home, his injuries preventing him from completing the remaining three months of his commitment to the military. The Military demanded that he repay $3,000 of his enlistment bonus.

But, injuries sustained in combat aren’t the only reason for demanding repayment of enlistment bonuses.

Army Spc. Jason Hubbard became a casualty of the military’s sole survivor policy last October. Following the death of his younger brother late last year, Hubbard was sent home; the last of three brothers; the other two killed in Iraq. The Military thanked him for his service by cutting off his family's transitional health care benefits, stopping his G.I. educational subsidies and demanding that he repay $6,000 of his enlistment bonus.

There are efforts underway in the US Congress to remedy the situation. By most accounts, the treatment of wounded US veterans returning from combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq leaves a whole lot to be desired. They deserve a damn sight better.

And, just where is the Texas tyrant while all this is going on?