Army charges sniper for gear left behind when he was shot.
Sniper Gary Pfleider was wounded while in patrol in Iraq back in 2007. A sniper shot him through his left leg and he didn’t think he was going to make it. Luckily, he pulled through and received a Purple Heart for his bravery in combat according to Seattle Weekly.
But that’s not the only thing the Army awarded him with. They also gave him a bill for more than $3000 because of the gear he had to leave behind after being shot.
Seattle Weekly: Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
Gary Pfleider doesn’t remember much of what happened after he got shot. The former Oregon National Guard soldier was in a truck on patrol in Iraq in 2007 when a bullet tore through his left leg.
“I remember grabbing ahold of my leg and realizing I had blood on my hands,” Pfleider told KVAL-TV. “And from that point on, until I got loaded onto the Stryker, it was just a big blur.”
Pfleider flew back to the states and recuperated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. One-third of the muscle in his leg is gone and he’ll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life.
And according to the government, he also has some debts to repay.
Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
Pfleider claims he got sworn statements from his bosses that he was no longer liable. The government says he may have misfiled them, or they may be lost. It’s issuing a ruling on Friday to determine what Pfleider owes.
The feds are already docking Pfleider’s social security and put a freeze on his tax returns. Making it even more difficult for him to mentally prepare for an upcoming surgery on his leg, the ninth one he’s undergone since getting shot.
My Great Grandfather John Caldwell fought the entire Civil War (Pennsylvania 61st) and he was particularly irked when, after he’d been wounded in the second Battle of the Wilderness and shipped back to Washington for treatment, the army demanded payment for his medical care before they’d release him to return to combat! I believe the expression for military people like these is “REMF”, for rear echelon mother fuc..r”
For What It's Worth 
The Duke has a copy of a bill sent to his (deceased, obviously) great great uncle for his medical bills due to wounds at Second Bull Run. Only problem –
he died within days of those wounds!
Fought with the New York 129th, and is buried in the ring of honor outside of the Civil War unknown at Arlington.