Persian Gulf vets eligible for voter-approved bonuses

COLUMBUS

Nelson Weirick did stints in the Navy and the National Guard from the mid-1970s through 1999, when he retired from the service.

His time included the Gulf War years in the early 1990s, and, as such, he was among the thousands of Ohio military men and women who were eligible for voter-approved bonuses.

It wasn’t a lot of money – $700 or $800, as he recalled.

“It’s not making or breaking anybody,” said Weirick, who today heads the Wayne County Veterans Service Commission. But, he added, “It’s a nice thank you.”

Jeff Shull, a retired Navy chief petty officer who works alongside Weirick at the Wayne County vets services office, received a comparable check for his Gulf War service.

“Even $400 to $500 would make an impact on assisting them getting set up with college,” Shull said, adding,

Since the initial checks were cut in fiscal 2010, 91,700-plus veterans have received bonus payments totaling nearly $74.8 million.

In November 2009, voters signed off on a constitutional amendment allowing the state to borrow up to $200 million to pay cash bonuses to Ohio military men and women who served at least 90 days of active duty in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq in current conflicts in those areas, plus those involved in Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s.

Read more about the program in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.