I am confused and so I re-read the posts. So the 4k bonus was never "offered", but your son still got it because he did the research and contacted the recruiter about it. Good for him. Seems like he was proactive and dilligent.
Justin, you talked of the research you did prior to joining the Navy to get all your questions answered. Come on, ALL of them? I asked alot of questions but I still came across things I didnt know about prior to joining the Navy, and I got a "good deal" out of it by joining the CASH program. Heck, you recently have posted about how the civilian nuclear power world is different/tougher than you imagined. Does it mean your research prior to getting out of the Navy was non-existent? Does it call into question you as a person? I doubt it, especially if one reads your posts, so in that sense I give you the benefit of the doubt. You on the other hand sum up a kid in 3 seconds as a sign of the times based on what his mom says about him. What do you expect a mom to say? Try a little of that benefit of the doubt I mentioned and I think you will see that this kid should be all right with Navy you turned over to him.