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thedrifter
04-30-08, 07:02 AM
Posted on Wed, Apr. 30, 2008
Airline's collapse leaves troops stuck overseas


By MICHAEL DOYLE
McClatchy Newspapers

The abrupt collapse of ATA Airlines this month has left an untold number of U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines stuck in Iraqi and Afghan airports while they await a ride home. Some face travel delays of up to a week, military officials acknowledge.

"It's hard to believe that when this bankruptcy happened, the Department of Defense didn't have a backup plan," Bret Rumbeck, press secretary for Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said Tuesday. "It seems they dropped the ball a little bit."

Costa is one of several lawmakers who have been drawn into the homecoming headache. The mother of a Marine reconnaissance sergeant from Fresno, Calif., who was stranded in Iraq contacted Costa's office late last week to complain about her son's treatment.

The mother, who so far has declined to be identified publicly, told Costa's congressional staff that her son, a sergeant in the North Carolina-based Marine 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, was scheduled to depart from Iraq for Camp Lejeune on Thursday. Last week, the Marines learned they couldn't leave. As of Sunday, new travel plans hadn't been set.

The stranded troops were scheduled to travel by military plane from Iraq to Kuwait, and then by charter back to the United States. ATA, a discount airline based in Indianapolis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and canceled flights on April 3 in the wake of rising fuel costs and lost contracts.

What happened

FedEx contract: ATA was part of a larger military charter team managed by Federal Express. In September, according to Aviation Week, the FedEx team won a one-year, $1 billion airlift contract with the U.S. Transportation Command. When FedEx recently announced plans to drop ATA from the military charter team, offering no public explanation, airline officials said they had no choice but to shut down.

Airplane shuffle: Military transportation officials consequently had to start shifting planes from one region to another in order to pick up the slack. The resulting delays have hit worldwide, though probably most poignantly for those returning from the Persian Gulf war zone.

Pentagon comment: "We are a global transportation system, and ATA was one of our air carriers," U.S. Transportation Command media officer Cynthia Bauer said Tuesday. "Any problem in one area will affect the whole system."

Delays: Bauer said ongoing redeployment delays of two to six days are likely to last for several weeks. "We want to do our best to get everyone home," she said. The transportation command hauled about 59,000 military passengers worldwide last month.

At a glance

The latest news in the Iraq war.

Ambush: The U.S. military said at least 28 Shiite militiamen were killed after they ambushed an American patrol in Baghdad's Sadr City area. There was no independent confirmation that dozens of civilians were killed and wounded, as hospitals reported.

Americans killed: A soldier was killed by small-arms fire in northwestern Baghdad; another soldier was killed by an explosive in northwestern Baghdad.

Texan killed: Army Spc. David P. McCormick, 26, of Fresno, in South Texas, died Monday in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his base came under rocket attack. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Ellie

thedrifter
04-30-08, 07:05 AM
Daily developments


April 30, 2008

Stranded: The abrupt collapse of ATA Airlines has left an untold number of U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines stuck at Iraqi and Afghan airports while they await a ride home. Some face travel delays of up to a week, military officials said. “It's hard to believe that when this bankruptcy happened, the Department of Defense didn't have a backup plan,” Bret Rumbeck, press secretary for Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said yesterday. “It seems they dropped the ball a little bit.” Costa is one of several lawmakers who have been drawn into the homecoming headache. The mother of a Marine reconnaissance sergeant from Fresno who was stranded in Iraq contacted Costa's office late last week to complain about her son's treatment. The mother, who has declined to be identified publicly, told Costa's congressional staff that her son, with the North Carolina-based Marine 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, was scheduled to depart from Iraq for Camp Lejeune on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Marines learned they couldn't leave. As of Sunday, new travel plans hadn't been set.

Ellie