Outrageous Fortune of Soldiers [Updated]

While Martin was not laughing at the original posting of this item, he is now glad to pass on the good news that the reports of ABC et al have prompted the Pentagon to investigate and correct the error with Tyson, and hopefully any other soldiers who have suffered the same outrageous fortune.

[Laughing Martin's original post follows]

Thanks for your service, soldier.

I have good news and bad news for you.

You'll be happy to know Pres. Bush has pardoned two turkeys named May and Flower from becoming Thanksgiving dinner and is sending them to Disneyland.

However, since you are now unable to fulfill your duties, we want a rebate of your enlistment bonus.

Brian Ross reports for ABC news:

Hundreds of soldiers wounded in battle in Iraq have found themselves fighting off bill collectors on the home front, according to a report to be released tomorrow. The draft report by the Government Accountability Office, which ABC News obtained, said that hundreds of wounded soldiers had military debts incurred through no fault of their own turned over to collection agencies.

. . . Army specialist Tyson Johnson of Mobile, Ala., had just been promoted in a field ceremony in Iraq when a mortar round exploded outside his tent, almost killing him.
"It took my kidney, my left kidney, shrapnel came in through my head, back of my head," he recounted.
His injuries forced him out of the military, and the Army demanded he repay an enlistment bonus of $2,700 because he'd only served two-thirds of his three-year tour.
When he couldn't pay, Johnson's account was turned over to bill collectors. He ended up living out of his car when the Army reported him to credit agencies as having bad debts, making it impossible for him to rent an apartment.