Thanks to public outcry, the former plan from the Pentagon to order 10,000 California National Guard members to repay their enlistment bonuses has been quashed.
Though conservative America is not often motivated into online activism (unless “Hillary for Prison” counts), when it comes to supporting the military, they’ll do almost anything.
That’s why anytime you view a social media post from popular coffee brand, you will see person after person shouting about how Starbucks doesn’t support soldiers – even though they do. No matter that that rumor was corrected years and years ago, Starbucks continues to have to pay some poor schlub to respond to all-caps rants about how the coffee brand hates America.
But back to this legitimate grievance…
Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that the 10,000 National Guard members were being required to repay bonuses – some as much as $15,000 – that were given to them in error. Many had obtained the bonuses years prior, and to be asked to return that money now seemed to many to be unfair.
It wasn’t just online slactivists who were outraged. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle demanded that the attempt at claiming these moneys be stopped immediately, saying that far too much time had passed.
On Wednesday, Secretary Ash Carter issued an order suspending the collection operations.
“While some soldiers knew or should have known they were ineligible for benefits they were claiming, many others did not.”
So there you have it, folks. Starbucks does send coffee too deployed officers and no one has to pay back their bonuses.
