Soldiers told to repay enlistment bonuses from Iraq, Afghanistan (w/video)

I was on active duty in the USNR from about 1969 through 1971. A shipmate of mine was a second class petty officer. E-5 sonar tech. He put in a request chit asking if he was eligible for profiency pay. He heard nothing on his request but started receiving the pro pay. Some 18 months went by when he was told he hadn't been eligible and he had to return it. He spoke with his personnelman and the personelle man checked into it. There is a rule in the UCMJ that says that when an error in pay occurs in a service mans pay through no fault of the serviceman it shall always be interpreted in favor of the serviceman. He used this article of the UCMJ to appeal his case and won. The serviceman I'm speaking of is Donald Johnson who was serving on the USS PUTNAM DD698. not sure of the numbers. between 1969 through 1971.
Michael Hoffmeister

I seem to have found in my old age one truism over all "The bean counters always win" it's a damn shame you can have the VA spending over 20 million dollars on "art" for the offices of the bureaucracts,but then have a system that takes back bonuses from people who are required to put their lives on the line for their Country.

I started my military career as an enlisted man in the US Army. I served almost 6 years and reenlisted once. When I reenlisted I figured that being able to reenlisted was my bonus. As an officer I was never eligible for any type of bonus for staying in the service. So that brings me to this article - I can see both sides of the problem. The government needs to collect money that was paid inappropriately to people who were not eligible and Service Members want to keep what they were paid. Ask a question - did they know they were ineligible for bonuses and educational benefits? I always knew the answer to those questions while I served. So if they knew they were ineligible then taking the money was against regulations and should be repaid.