U.S. Postal Service ordered to pay fired soldier $2 million

After being fired back in 2000 for taking too much time off for his military service, Sgt. Richard Erickson won a seven-year legal battle against the U.S. Postal Service. A federal board denied a Postal Service appeal and ordered the agency to reinstate his job at a post office in Ft. Myers, Florida by Jan 20. The soldier will be awarded with $2 million in back pay and benefits.

Erickson accused the Postal Service of violating an act that protects the civilian jobs of service members who are called away to military duty. He currently serves with the Army's Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg in North Carolina.