Iowa Guard troops won't need to repay re-enlistment bonuses

The Iowa National Guard appears to be untouched by a controversy in which thousands of current and former Army National Guard troops are being ordered by the Pentagon to repay enlistment bonuses awarded in the past.

Col. Gregory Hapgood Jr., the Iowa Guard’s public affairs officer, told The Des Moines Register Tuesday that the problem may be specific to the California National Guard.  News reports indicate that more than 10,000 California Army National Guard soldiers could be affected, forcing some to mortgage their homes or obtain part-time jobs to make thousands of dollars in repayments to the federal government.

However, the military offered similar bonuses to Guard members elsewhere in the United States and it was common for Iowa Guard members to receive re-enlistment bonuses at the same time the California Guard troops received bonuses.

“At this point, from the research that we have done regarding any kind of re-enlistment bonuses, we don’t have an issue here in Iowa,” Hapgood said. “We haven’t found a single soldier or airman that was affected by this issue in Iowa.”

More than 18,000 Iowa National Guard soldiers and airmen have been called to active duty since 2001, including troops who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, Hapgood said.

The efforts to force Guard members to make repayments for  bureaucratic errors made years ago have drawn criticism from both major party presidential candidates.

Democrat Hillary Clinton said Monday night that Congress should move quickly to pass whatever legislation is need to fix the problem, saying the troops “deserve our support and our deepest gratitude." Republican Donald Trump told a crowd in Tampa, Fla., Monday night that Guardsmen would never be forced to return promised bonuses under a Trump administration.

Retired Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, the president of the National Guard Association of the United States, said soldiers had entered into their enlistment contracts in good faith and should be allowed to keep their bonuses.

“Trust is part of the foundation here. Soldiers entering into these contracts must be able to trust that what they were offered is valid, and that they won't pay a large price if it is not,” Hargett said.