ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) -- When members of the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade left for the Middle East last June, they were prepared to pay the ultimate price in Iraq.

But a clerical error means some of those guard members won't be getting paid here at home.

Video: Pay Mistake

When you're the wife of a Minnesota Army National Guard member who's been sent Iraq, you get used to living with the unknown.

But that usually doesn't extend to when your husband is going to get his army paycheck.

Twice a month, guard members get an electronic pay stub like, called a leave and earnings statement or L.E.S, that shows how much they earned during the most recent pay period.

But 140 members of the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade who left for Iraq last summer will get an L.E.S. that not only show zero pay, but that they owe the army more than $8,000. This is all due to a botched attempt to collect back pay from a Soldier who never deployed.

An email sent to the affected families says the proper pay should go through eight days later, by January 23rd.

The National Guard says short term loans will also be made available through family assistance centers to ease any financial hardships caused by the mistake.