Posted on 07/22/2004 12:06:05 PM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
Soldier Home From Iraq Strikes It Rich In Lottery
POSTED: 7:32 am EDT July 22, 2004
NORWOOD, Mass. -- John Morrissey's luck was just beginning when he made it back from Iraq.
The Massachusetts National Guardsman will be getting $200,000 a year for life, thanks to a winning scratch-off lottery ticket.
That $10 winning ticket will pay him about $143,000 a year after taxes.
Morrissey bought the ticket last week. He returned to the states just five weeks ago after serving a 13-month tour in Iraq.
The divorced father of two said the big bucks will help get him out of bankruptcy and pay for his kids' college education. He told the Boston Herald that he always had faith that he'd hit it big someday.
Morrissey is a member of the 110th Maintenance Company of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He returned from Iraq last month after serving at an air base outside Nazariyah.
Don't bet on it. I can see her dragging him into court for more alimony, child support, etc.
A Good Guy Wins Ping
Hero wins ping.
What nice news! :-)
Hahahahahaha! That is a GREAT tagline!
Thanks. Been waiting for somebody to comment on it. :)
Apples and Oranges. Tillman had the money and chose the service, which clearly demonstrates his commitment.
I can understand the headaches presented for the military when an enlisted person of little means suddenly and unexpectedly becomes a millionaire.
He will be broke again in less than 5 years.
He might be bankrupted be caused he's divorced and just spent the last 13 months earning soldiers pay on active duty. Let's not be so quick to judge. Setting up child support on his civilian salary, then switching to the military pay scale can bankrupt anyone.
It's true there are legit ways to become bankrupt. I was talking about the fact that he's buying lottery tickets in the midst of it. To me, that means he can't handle money.
You are correct.
If I were to win a considerable amount of money, the AF would prejudge me by expecting me to walk off the job, regardless of the 16 years I've already dedicated to the service. I would be discharged for the good of the AF.
I can hear the next question - what would I do if I had the option? I wouldn't walk off the job. I would continue my service through to retirement, to finish what I started. After retirement, I would either take a volunteer position at a military installation (family support, hospital, etc) or an organization that supports the military (USO probably).
To me, it means he is using part of his entertainment budget to buy the tickets. Maybe he didn't want to rent a video that week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.