Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Pentagon on Wednesday to stop clawing back the bonuses that thousands of soldiers got for re-enlisting to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. ‘There is no more important responsibility for the Department of Defense than keeping faith with our people,’ Carter said in a statement. ‘That means treating them fairly and equitably, honoring their service and sacrifice, and keeping our word. Today, in keeping with that obligation, I am ordering a series of steps to ensure fair treatment for thousands of California National Guard soldiers who may have received incentive bonuses and tuition assistance improperly as a result of errors and in some cases criminal behavior by members of the California National Guard.’ Carter’s announcement was greeted with cheers in Kempner, Texas where Don and Susan Haley — both Iraq War veterans — had been struggling to pay back the bonuses they got when they reenlisted a decade ago in the California National Guard.
