I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4130 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense 
to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets 
for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the Armed 
Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station and 
are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave and 
certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be 
reunited with such a member, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 2, 2004 
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. MURTHA, 
Mr. HUNTER, and Mr. SKELTON) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the 
Secretary of Defense to accept the donation of frequent 
traveler miles, credits, and tickets for the purpose of 
facilitating the travel of members of the Armed Forces 
who are deployed away from their permanent duty sta-
tion and are granted, during such deployment, rest and 
recuperative leave and certain other forms of leave and 
the travel of family members to be reunited with such 
a member, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Operation Hero Miles 
Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF FREQUENT TRAVELER MILES, 
CREDITS, AND TICKETS TO FACILITATE THE 
AIR OR SURFACE TRAVEL OF CERTAIN MEM-
BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR 
FAMILIES. 
Section 2608 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (g) through (k) 
as subsections (h) through (l), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(g) OPERATION HERO MILES.—(1) The Secretary 
of Defense may use the authority of subsection (a) to ac-
cept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and 
tickets for air or surface transportation issued by any air 
carrier or surface carrier that serves the public and that 
consents to such donation, and under such terms and con-
ditions as the air or surface carrier may specify. The Sec-
retary shall designate a single office in the Department 
of Defense to carry out this subsection, including the es-
tablishment of such rules and procedures as may be nec-
essary to facilitate the acceptance of such frequent trav-
eler miles, credits, and tickets.
‘‘(2) Frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets ac-
cepted under this subsection shall be used only in accord-
ance with the rules established by the air carrier or surface 
carrier that is source of the miles, credits, or tickets and 
shall be used only for the purpose of— 
‘‘(A) facilitating the travel of a member of the 
armed forces who— 
‘‘(i) is deployed on active duty away from 
the permanent duty station of the member; and 
‘‘(ii) is granted, during such deployment, 
rest and recuperative leave, emergency leave, 
convalescent leave, or another form of leave au-
thorized for the member; or 
‘‘(B) facilitating the travel of family members 
of the member to be reunited with the member. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense may enter into an 
agreement with a nonprofit organization to use the serv-
ices of the organization— 
‘‘(A) to promote the donation of frequent trav-
eler miles, credits, and tickets under paragraph (1), 
except that amounts appropriated to the Depart-
ment of Defense may not be expended for this pur-
pose; and
‘‘(B) to assist in administering the collection, 
distribution, and use of donated frequent traveler 
miles, credits, and tickets. 
‘‘(4) Members of the armed forces and family mem-
bers who receive air or surface transportation using fre-
quent traveler miles, credits, or tickets donated under this 
subsection are deemed to recognize no income from such 
use. Donors of frequent traveler miles, credits, or tickets 
under this subsection are deemed to obtain no tax benefit 
from such donation. 
‘‘(5) In this subsection, the term ‘family member’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 411h(b)(1) of title 
37.’’. 
SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL COSTS INCURRED 
BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES UNDER 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REST AND RECU-
PERATION LEAVE PROGRAM. 
The Secretary of Defense shall reimburse each mem-
ber of the Armed Forces who participated in the Depart-
ment of Defense Rest and Recuperation Leave program 
during the period beginning on September 15, 2003, and 
ending on December 18, 2003, for travel expenses in-
curred by the member, or by family members on behalf 
of the member, to travel to or from a designated embar-
kation point for the program before the program was ex-
panded to include a domestic travel component. 
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