it's called getting terminated for cause, which you weren't. In GA I can fire your ass for cause or 'just cause' and the law supports me. However, that doesn't happen to a smart employer that wants to attract good employees.
All these folks did is give you an unexpcted two week paid vacation. I understand your problem about the principal of it. I have to explain this to people all the time when they put in their notice.
Celesta hit the nail on the head. We don't want you to have 2 weeks to @%#$ something up or goof off. The why I see it, its a win/win (which rarely happens in the "real" world). You get a vacation and your former employer doesn't have to watch you like a hawk or worry about what damage you may have caused before you left.
However, NOT giving notice is just plain wrong. And any hopes of getting a good recommendation is gone as are the hopes of ever coming back. I know what you just said but you would be surprised the number of times I heard that and then got a phone call 6-7-12-18 months later wanting to know if they could come back. Might not happen with this employer but if you make that a habit, it will catch up with you at the WORST possible time.
Sorry....end of sermon.