Some U-S Troops May Have To Pay In Order To Come Home From Iraq

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://fox40.trb.com/news/ktxl-110503strandedsoldiers,0,4755534.story?coll=ktxl-news-1

STOCKTON -- Dominque Rose just celebrated her first birthday. A lot has changed since the last time her father held her.

Hannah Rose, a soldier's wife says, "She got her first tooth and he left so it was real hard."

Cole Rose is a mechanic in the Army. He's been in Iraq for more then eight months and for the first time, he had an opportunity to come home.

Hannah Rose says, "They said that all the guys that have been there for six months get two weeks of leave."

Right now, troops going on leave are flown to Kuwait, then they can fly to Baltimore, Atlanta or Dallas Fort-Worth. But that's where the free ride ends.

If a soldier like Cole Rose wants to fly home to Stockton, he has to foot the bill.

Sandy Allen, Cole Rose's mother, says "I was like they'll fly you to the east coast, but they won't fly you to the west coast, why not?"
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Corporatism supporting our Soldiers.

[burrowowl]

1. Must help

the Gov paid for the bailouts it gave the airlines.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. the gov'ment will not do this

to be honest, but at least some of the airlines will step
forth (Delta) ahd use frequent flyer miles we donate, I think
don't quote me, they will match them too

[Supormom]

3. Contribute Frequent Flyer Miles

Some airlines will allow you to donate frequent flyer miles to soldiers on leave. I know Northwest will. Something to think about.O8)

[Maeve]

5. Operation Hero Miles

Go here for more info:

http://www.heromiles.org/

[Devils Advocate NZ]

4. Someone tell the airlines...

that they got billions of dollars as a bailout after Sept 11, and the least they can do is let returned servicemen from Iraq ride for free!

[pinerow]

6. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, when GI's got R&R during

Vietnam, and they chose to go home (most went to New Zealand, Thailand and even Australia)they got as far as Hawaii, then they had two choices; hitch a ride with a military transport to the closest base to thier home; or they flew stand-by on commercial flights on which the G.I. paid a reduced rate. No one flew for free on commercial flights. The downside to that arrangement is that sometimes one would wait hours before a flight became available since full-fare fliers had to be boarded first.

While I support the troops( having been one in a much less popular war), lets stop the whining and understand that this is a "volunteer" force, no one drafted them. I would like to believe that our servicemen and women knew that hostile action was and is a very real possibility.

Flame on.