WASHINGTON, 20 December 2003 — Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan were in high spirits when the Pentagon decided to send them home for two weeks of “rest & relaxation.”
More than 470 soldiers began arriving daily in the US, but the program only flew them to an international airport in the US, from there they were expected to buy their own tickets home. Weary soldiers were surprised and dismayed when they tried to buy a ticket at the airport and were told that a ticket home would cost over $1,000.
When the soldiers’ families and friends heard about this, they were outraged. Outrage turned to action, and “Operation Hero Miles” (www.heromiles.org) was born.
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland, said he got the idea of asking people to donate their frequent-flier miles to help buy tickets for troops after he visited soldiers passing through Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
Ruppersberger sent letters to 12 airlines asking them to support the program because it allows citizens to “contribute in their own way to the morale and welfare of those defending our country.” He said his own staff donated 67,000 of their frequent-flier miles to the program.
Nine airlines, 89 percent of the domestic airline market, began accepting donations of frequent-flier miles, which allowed people millions of miles to help pay for soldiers’ airfares.
To date, travelers have donated over 203 million miles, which means 8,100 free tickets are available for the troops.
“It is a wonderful gift this holiday season: giving the gift of quality time with loved ones without worrying about how much it will cost,” said Rep. Ruppersberger.
