Recent changes in defense policy (c. Nov 2013 - Jan 2014) have seen a number of job bonuses stripped from soldiers that have been deployed to areas outside the US considered non combat zones, such as the Emirates and Qatar. Such include the guaranteed rest/recreation period per year's deployment and provided travel arrangements to return home to the US, and the wage hike for deployment (and the resulting isolation from family and friends) amounting to several hundred dollars per month.
We urge the Obama Administration to restore these bonuses to these soldiers. Though they may not be deployed to an active combat zone, they are still separated from family in an unfamiliar environment, and deserve appropriate recompense for this.