In the fall of 2003, the Pentagon instituted a Rest & Recuperation Leave program for members of the military serving in Iraq. Although this meant a much-deserved, two-week trip home, the DoD decided to fly soldiers to only a specific few airports in the U.S. Once stateside, each soldier was then financially responsible for the remainder of the trip home. Mark found it appalling that a Minnesota soldier would be dropped off in Baltimore and not transported all the way home to Minnesota. Thus, he introduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to pay for our troops to get all the way home. After many months of persistence, the legislation finally succeeded in passing, requiring the DoD to pay the full travel costs for all of the soldiers who have served our nation so valiantly. The legislation was signed into law by President Bush on April 22, 2004.