July 19, 2007
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Senate Rejects Time Off for Deployed
Stars and Stripes | Leo Shane III | July 12, 2007
Senate Rejects One-for-One Dwell-Time Proposal by Four Votes
WASHINGTON � The Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposal to guarantee all troops a month home for every month they are deployed into a combat zone.
The Senate fell four votes short of the 60 needed to end debate on
the topic, preventing Democratic leaders in the chamber from bringing
the issue up for a full vote and effectively forcing them to drop it.Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev., called the proposal �critical for the strength of our military
and the well-being of our troops� and chastised Republicans for
blocking the amendment.The one-for-one proposal was introduced last week by Sen. Jim Webb,
D-Va., as a way to ease the burden of deployments on troops and their
families. Proponents said the measure would help preserve troop morale
and health, while opponents said it unfairly restricted military
planners.Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates introduced a new
dwell-time policy requiring that units spend a minimum of 12 months
home after 15-month deployments overseas.Currently, the Army is using that 15-12 ratio, while Marine Corps
unit deployments are typically seven months at home after seven months
downrange.The dwell-time proposal was part of the Senate�s debate over the $649 billion 2008 defense authorization bill, which sets military funding priorities and limits for next year.
The House passed its version of the bill in the spring. The Senate
is expected to approve its draft by the end of the week and begin
deliberations with the House on a compromise measure.http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,142121,00.html?ESRC=army-a.nl
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They want us home but they don’t want us to get time off…. yea , they got our best interests in mind.
Comments (5)
member since 2002.. amazing :3…
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Unfortunately, it’s more like political interest rather than our best interest…
That sucks. Of course as Michael Moore illustrated in “Farenheit 9/11″ not many political leaders have their own children fighting in the American Army so why the hell would they give a damn about all the individuals that make up the army and their well-being. After all, aren’t all politicans the same: self-interested pork-barrelers?
Sorry to hear about the vote.
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