I find this article somewhat suspect and very surprising.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 provides that an service member can stay a foreclosure proceeding during his active duty. And may even stop non judicial foreclosure as in this case.
I think this story is a little bunko, but if it happened to me and I were the serviceman there would be some homeowners association peckerheaded officials peeing their pants as they tried to very rapidly make amends for this as I glared at them up front and personal.