Hey Buddy: You Gonna Pay For That?

If you've been spending the majority of your military life defending your country and trying to return home in one piece, the last thing you want is to be billed for gear lost or damaged during battles:

"I'm so proud to be in the military ... at the same time I just could not believe that when I got back after sacrificing so much that I owed the Army money," the soldier said.

This soldier got a bill for about $500 dollars for lost gear. Another soldier had to pay nearly $800 dollars for items such as trousers, a coat, a helmet which he lost during a year spent in some of Iraq's most dangerous towns.

"Maybe you were lying down with a coat behind your head and you come under fire. Your first reaction isn't to grab coat fold it neatly and make sure it's properly stowed when you're being shot at," another soldier said.

These two soldiers asked us to cover their faces because they're considering making a career of the military. They say the bills are a blow to morale.

"You've got the threat of people shooting at you, you're under intense stress and sometimes you have more important things to potentially think about than do I have everything with me," the soldier said.

The next time someone postulates what "hurts the morale of the troops," let them know about this story.