Bush Signs Sole Survivor Benefits Law

WASHINGTON —  President Bush on Friday signed the Hubbard Act, surrounded by members of the California family whose multiple sacrifices inspired the military pay-and-benefits law.

"Today has been very special for my family, for the president of the United States to take time out from his busy schedule," said Jason Hubbard, the family's sole surviving son. "My family has been very humbled by the way we've been treated."

Bush took but a second to sign the Hubbard Act, restoring recruitment bonuses and assorted benefits to sole survivors who are discharged early from the military. He took more time to commiserate with eight members of the Hubbard family gathered around his Oval Office desk.

For parents Peggy and Jeff Hubbard, far from their home in Clovis, Calif., this was the moment that mattered most.

"It was a personal visit [of] the president of the United States with parents who have lost two sons to this war," Jason Hubbard said on the White House driveway after the bill signing. "They felt it was a very special time to have, to have appreciation shown directly to them."

Jason Hubbard, a 35-year-old Fresno County deputy sheriff, survived an Iraq combat tour. His brothers Jared and Nathan did not.

Jared, a Marine lance corporal, died in Iraq's Anbar Province in November 2004. A year later, Nathan and Jason Hubbard enlisted in the Army. In August 2007, Nathan Hubbard died in a helicopter crash near the Iraq city of Kirkuk.

Following Pentagon practice, Jason Hubbard was then able as a sole survivor to win an early honorable discharge.

But because Jason Hubbard left before completing his original three-year commitment, the Army made him pay back $2,000 of his enlistment bonus. He also was denied standard education and other benefits.

Enter Congress.

Working initially through the offices of Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., Hubbard inspired a fast-moving bill that restores the pay and benefits for members of the military who lose a sibling or parent as a result of military service. Sole survivors will receive 120 days of transitional health coverage, access to commissaries and standard veteran's benefits, including school and home loans.