Jim Ramstad: “Mr. Speaker, last year, the U.S. military began employing its first rest and recuperation program, known as R&R, since…”

“Mr. Speaker, last year, the U.S. military began employing its first rest and recuperation program, known as R&R, since the Vietnam War. Soldiers who have served 12 straight months in a combat zone qualify for R&R. Sadly, however, we all remember the televised interviews of combat-weary American soldiers back from Iraq on R&R and stranded at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, unable to afford a plane ticket home. Sad but true, Mr. Speaker, too many of our brave and battle-fatigued soldiers were unable to get to their hometowns to see their loved ones because same-day airfare was too expensive for many of our troops to afford. That is why last fall I introduced an amendment with my friend, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), to make money available to cover troops' travel costs to their hometowns. With the support of the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), chairman of the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, our amendment was passed and the Pentagon began paying our troops' airfare all the way home. Unfortunately, though, Mr. Speaker, the Pentagon did not implement this program retroactively, which means the first wave of troops who came back from Iraq for R&R and who managed to scrape up the cash for airfare home are still to this day stuck with the tab to see their families.”