New policy makes post-deployment leave easier for Pacific airmen

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New policy makes post-deployment leave easier for Pacific airmen
By T.D. Flack, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, January 7, 2010

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — A recent change to an Air Force regulation on taking leave can save Pacific-based airmen a lot of money.

Effective Dec. 16, the Air Force began allowing its personnel to take vacation days in the United States while traveling back to their home duty stations after a contingency deployment.

The Air Force doesn’t send its Pacific-based people the shortest route home — east — after deployments to locations such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, it requires them to fly back through the United States. The only exception is when there is a major movement of personnel, such as when an entire squadron deploys together and has a dedicated flight.

Under the old regulation airmen were not allowed to temporarily halt their travel to take vacation after hitting one of three major hubs in the States — Norfolk, Va.; Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; or Baltimore.

Instead, they had to travel back to their home duty stations in Japan or South Korea, check in with their units, and then buy commercial tickets to fly back to the States, according to Tech. Sgt. Eugene Scott, section chief of the Installation Personnel Readiness Unit at Misawa.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67034