Senator Jim Webb (via email):

Today, Senator Chuck Hagel and I will reintroduce an amendment that seeks to provide our men and women in uniform with the responsible rotational cycles they deserve.

We will be offering an amendment that requires our troops have a 1:1 deployment-to-dwell ratio for active units and members. This is a minimum floor. The Department of Defense's historic policy and current goal is a ratio of 1:2. Currently, Army units are deployed for 15 months with 12 months at home. It is not unusual for Marines also to have less time at home than the length of their last deployment.

This amendment is vital to the continued morale and effectiveness of our Armed Forces, which are breaking under the strain of unprecedented long deployments in combat zones.

Please email your Senators before today's vote. Encourage them to support my Dwell Time Amendment to support our troops.

This Dwell Time Amendment provides a safety net under our troops. However long a servicemember has been deployed, they deserve at least that much time at home. It is a very simple, common sense amendment.

In July, my amendment received 56 votes. We need just 4 more votes this time to pass this amendment, and I am asking for your help.

Please take a moment now, and send a message to your Senators to support the Dwell Time Amendment.

After 4 1/2 years of occupation in Iraq, it is time for the availability of troops to dictate the operational tempo, not the other way around. I hope you will join me in supporting this important

legislation. Then help me spread the word to friends and family across the country. For the sake of our servicemembers and their families, this is the right thing to do.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb