The recombination and reemission of deuterium implanted into a stainless steel surface has been studied at temperatures from 300 to 600°K. The recombination coefficient is found to increase by more than two orders of magnitude as the natural surface oxide layer is removed. By constrast for gold the recombination coefficient is independent of surface treatment. It is pointed out that the so-called recombination coefficient must involve surface diffusion, true recombination and desorption. Moreover, this paper suggestes that the recombination step may not be the rate limiting process at all.