Soldiers Being Asked To Return Bonus Money

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Three Black Hills mayors are upset that some National Guard soldiers have been told to return bonus pay they mistakenly received.

The Rapid City Journal reports that some members of the 842nd Engineering Company were notified in March they had been overpaid and were told not to spend the money. They received instructions last month on paying it back.

The mayors of Lead, Spearfish and Deadwood are upset with how the problem was rectified. They say that after two months of no communication on the matter, many of the soldiers assumed the money was theirs and began spending it.

The pay is a bonus for soldiers who don't take an allotted rest period between deployments. Guard spokesman Maj. Anthony Deiss says he doesn't know how many soldiers were overpaid