Soldier Who Led Suit On Bonuses Now Asks Lawmakers To Slow Down
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Strother has been a spokesman of sorts for many of the California National Guard members told to pay back thousands of dollars in enlistment bonuses they got a decade ago.
"I'm worried about future good faith in the military and its contracts," Strother said.
He filed a class-action lawsuit and was part of the push to bring attention to the issue.
Now that there are three proposed bills in Congress to solve the problem, Strother is saying slow down.
He feels politicians are rushing to be first to pass a bill without listening to all concerns.
"There are all kinds of soldiers that could fall through the cracks, soldiers that have not even been paid their bonuses," Strother said.
He points to Bruce Himelright, a veteran who served in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery.
According to the lawsuit, he was only given half his promised bonus, then was told he'll never get the other half.
"He wasn't paid, and yet he paid in blood and watched two of his buddies pay with their lives that day," Strother said.
The proposed bills don't address cases like his or answer how future contracts will be addressed, he said.
"I'm not looking to get rich; I'm looking to make our system better," Strother said of his lawsuit.
Each of the bills'sponsors, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office, responded that they are happy to talk more about concerns and do believe their proposed bills meet the needs of soldiers who acted in good faith.
Rep. Adam Schiff added in a statement: "We are moving forward with expedition only because there are few remaining days in session, and we would like to make sure that soldiers can enjoy the holidays without any further concern over the problem."
Rep. Jeff Denham said: "We will be hosting a veterans hearing, taking testimony to see what other issues may be out there."
The Department of Defense has paused efforts to get money back and said each soldier's case would be reviewed by July.
