Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war

I was on active duty in the USNR from about 1969 through 1971. A shipmate of mine was a second class petty officer. E-5 sonar tech. He put in a request chit asking if he was eligible for profiency pay. He heard nothing on his request but started receiving the pro pay. Some 18 months went by when he was told he hadn't been eligible and he had to return it. He spoke with his personnelman and the personelle man checked into it. There is a rule in the UCMJ that says that when an error in pay occurs in a service mans pay through no fault of the serviceman it shall always be interpreted in favor of the serviceman. He used this article of the UCMJ to appeal his case and won. The serviceman I'm speaking of is Donald Johnson who was serving on the USS PUTNAM DD698. not sure of the numbers. between 1969 through 1971.
Michael Hoffmeister