Ramstad, Moore, and Ruppersberger Ask DOD To Reimburse Troops for R & R Travel

Washington, DC - In a joint letter, Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Congressman Dennis Moore (D-KS), and Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to reimburse all troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who paid for their Rest and Relaxation (R & R) travel out of their own pocket.

In September, 2003, the Pentagon began giving soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan two weeks of leave in the largest R & R program since the Vietnam War. The troops were flown to airports in Baltimore, MD, Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX, by the Department of Defense (DOD) and then required to pay their own way to take connecting flights to their hometowns all across the country.

"We are asking you to do the right thing for our men and women in uniform risking their lives for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please support our efforts to reimburse all our troops for the money they paid out of their own pockets to travel home on R & R to spend quality time with their loved ones during these very uncertain times," read the letter sent to Secretary Rumsfeld on January 15th, 2004.

During several trips to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport, Congressman Ruppersberger heard from dozens of men and women in uniform who told him they were paying anywhere from $400 to $1000 for plane tickets to their hometowns. The Congressman was concerned about the excessive financial burden placed on military families and created "Operation Hero Miles", the innovative program that allows travelers to donate their unused frequent flyer miles and allows troops to use them to fly home for free.

In November, 2003, Congress passed an amendment sponsored by Congressman Dennis Moore of Kansas and Congressman Jim Ramstad of Minnesota and supported by Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland that earmarked $55 million to pay for R & R travel. The DOD began using the money for military travel in January, 2004, but says it will not reimburse soldiers who paid their own way and traveled before December 19th, 2003.

"This means thousands of service members who by chance were granted R & R before December 19th, 2003, and paid for their travel with their own money will not be reimbursed but those who traveled after that date will be. We believe this policy is completely unfair and should be changed so that all troops who dug deep into their pockets to pay their own way home will be reimbursed," read the joint letter.