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R&R Program for Troops in Iraq Expanded
The home leave program for troops serving in Iraq is being expanded to fly more people out of the region every day and bring them to more U.S. airports, the military said Friday. Beginning Sunday, some 480 soldiers, up from 280, will leave daily from the Kuwait facility where troops are gathered for departures. "The expansion of the R&R leave program is an opportunity to get even more of our heroes serving in the region a deserved break," said the U.S. Central Command. And they will have a choice of flying to Atlanta and Dallas as well as the previous destinations of Baltimore and Germany. "The addition of two airports (is) to get troops closer to their homes," the Command said in a statement.Morale has been a concern, since troops and families in the summer began complaining about extended deployments and repeated deployments prompted by the longer-than-expected violence in Iraq on top of increased duties owing to the global war on terror. Of some 10,000 troops who have received their rest and recuperation trips, some 2 percent, or about 200, have not returned at the appointed time and place, officials said. Some have mitigating reasons for not getting there on time, but the numbers are unclear and changing as people are tracked down. Officials said a rate of 2 percent absent without leave is not unusual during a conflict or even sometimes for returnees after a holiday. Posted by: Steve White 2003-11-01 |
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