Nick Rahall: “In June, the American public learned that a major U.S. airline greeted a group of Army soldiers who were returning home…”

“In June, the American public learned that a major U.S. airline greeted a group of Army soldiers who were returning home from the front lines in Afghanistan with a bill for almost $3,000, or $200 apiece for each soldier to check four bags on a scheduled domestic flight. Americans were rightly outraged by the incident, which was explained in a YouTube video posted by one of our troops. In the video, one soldier notes that his fourth bag, for which he was charged $200, contained an M-4 carbine rifle, a grenade launcher and a 9-millimeter pistol, ``the tools I used to protect myself and Afghan citizens while I was deployed.'' A spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars told the Associated Press the fees were ``the worst welcome home any soldier could receive. The shock of even being charged is enough to make most service men and women simply shake their heads and wonder who or what it is they are protecting.'' Members of the Armed Forces who are serving our country on the front lines should not endure personal financial hardship when they are traveling to or returning from war zones. Yet, the media's reporting of the incident last month showed that major U.S. carriers were applying the same or similar policies across the board. Airlines were charging soldiers to check four reasonably sized bags and were profiting at the expense of the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who were going to or coming home from war.…”