Follow-Up on Soldier Charged for Armor

On Wednesday, I told you about the 25-year-old Army officer who had been forced by the military to fork over $700 for the blood-soaked armor taken from his body when he was wounded in Iraq and who was told he would not be discharged unless he paid the Army for the lost equipment.

I’m happy to report that bad publicity, coupled with pressure from the two Democratic Senators from the soldier’s native West Virginia, have resulted in the Army reimbursing First Lt. William "Eddie" Rebrook for money that, by his own admission, he had to borrow from his buddies to pay for the body armor and other gear he had lost in battle

Told of the refund, Rebrook said simply: "How kind of them," but added "I still love the Army, loved being a soldier and loved my unit.”

So Rebrook, who was medically discharged last week, got two pieces of good news: He didn’t have to pay for the armor and, in addition, he never has to return to that bastion of enlightenment and common sense Ft. Hood, Texas, ever again.

So it’s a happy ending all the way around.