I stole an Air Force paycheck over and over

I'm 100% a veteran. I was honorably discharged. I just never got around to fixing it at the time.<br><br>I didn't have to. I never got caught.<br><br>The use to pay active duty military right via a lot of checks on the first and 15th. I would end up with a check that I wasn't supposed to. I would toss it in my desk drawer and write the amount for it. My job was to send that check back to the payee. It was supposed to be something I did each day.<br><br>The checks didn't count towards my career. But I couldn't get paid if I didn't do them.<br><br>I would end up with extra checks that I would get to over the next few days. I would get to them when I got to them, but I never did.<br><br>I just sent the checks back instead of cashing them. It was never a problem.<br><br>I would send the checks back at the end of each week.<br><br>Every 6 weeks, I would get a check that said "OVERPAYMENT: DO NOT CASH".<br><br>I knew why.<br><br>But I did anyway.<br><br>I slept through a hearing to fire me for it. I don't think I ever told anyone about it. My girlfriend at the time heard me tell that joke but I don't think she ever knew that I truly did do it.<br><br>The hearing was a formality.<br><br>I was an air traffic controller. I did my job very well, so I retained a conflict of interest letter from the union. It cost me $500 but it was well worth it.<br><br>I slept in, got a phone call, and told them I was on my way. I showed up late and explained that I had gotten a call saying had to be there at 10:00am but my hearing was actually at 8:00am.<br><br>Of course, they didn't tell me that it was my fault. I didn't tell them that I just didn't think it mattered.<br><br>I ended up only getting a letter of reprimand for it. It was nothing, but I felt like it was a big deal.<br><br>I retired with full honors and no incidents in my file for it.<br><br>I'm quite literally a felon who stole thousands of dollars. I'm glad I was never caught.<br><br>I only bring it up because I believe that if someone does something wrong and they don't get caught, then they did nothing wrong.<br><br>I slept through work for an important hearing for a different job and it didn't make waves with anyone.<br><br>I would do it all over again.<br><br>I don't feel bad about it. The money goes to nothing, and I'm a veteran that served the nation. I didn't do anything wrong, because I didn't get caught.<br><br>That's the way I see it.<br><br>Edit: I retired in 1995. I am no longer in the military.<br><br>I don't feel bad about it. I don't feel guilty about it. I don't regret it. I'm not sorry about it.<br><br>I also don't think it was right or that I was in the right.<br><br>I just don't care. That's the way it is.<br><br>I'm not trying to defend myself, I just don't care that I did it.<br><br>Edit2: This was in the 80s. I don't know how the pay works now.<br><br>I also want to say that there is some misinformation. I was not a contractor, I was an airman. I am a disabled veteran and get benefits.<br><br>I'm not mad at the condemnation and downvotes. It's okay. I really don't care about it.<br><br>Edit3: I didn't spend the money on booze and drugs. I bought things like a Nintendo64 and a microwave oven. It didn't change my life.<br><br>I literally forgot about it until this weekend when I saw something that said "I stole from the government and got away with it".<br><br>I don't see anything wrong with what I did. But that's just an FYI.