Airport miscues sparked delay for Marines

[thedrifter]

Airport miscues sparked delay for Marines
By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

Oakland, Calif., International Airport officials say security concerns and a lack of communication led them to isolate a group of Kaneohe Marines returning from Iraq, keeping many of them away from loved ones.

An estimated 200 troops on a military jet charter flown by North American Airlines last Thursday had to wait on the tarmac during a layover in Oakland. The snub has led to criticism from politicians and unwanted media attention for the airport.

Airport officials said yesterday they were not warned ahead of time that family members and friends had planned to meet the returning Kaneohe Marines during the layover.

Deborah Ale-Flint, assistant director of aviation at Oakland International Airport, said a military jet charter flown by North American Airlines parked away from the main terminal because the passengers were carrying weapons and had not been screened by the Transportation Security Administration at an earlier stopover in New York.

The Marines were members of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, assigned to Kaneohe Bay, and were on their way back from Iraq. The chartered jet stopped in Oakland to be refueled, cleaned and restocked with food.

The battalion of nearly 1,000 Kaneohe Marines has been in Iraq for the past seven months. The bulk of the battalion is expected to return within the next two weeks.

Ale-Flint said Hilltop Aviation, which coordinated the aircraft arrangements and passenger handling for this flight, had not told Oakland officials that family and friends were on hand to meet the Marines during their 2 1/2-hour layover.

In a written statement, she said, "If this information had been shared in advance, there would have been a different outcome."

Airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said a handful of troops were permitted into the terminal; most were served food, provided restrooms and permitted to smoke outdoors on the tarmac near their charter plane.

Oakland Mayor Ron Deludes said he has directed the city-managed airport to "look into these matters and work closely with airport personnel to ensure that this type of situation never happens again."


The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

EDITORIAL
Marines' airport mixup misreported by media
Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched:10/05/2007 03:02:38 AM PDT

ON the surface, it seemed to resemble one of those infamous "Left Coast" incidents from the Vietnam era when the Bay Area was equated with the rejection and spurning of U.S. troops returning from an unpopular war.

Indications are, however, that the incident at Oakland International Airport on Sept. 27 involving a charter plane of 200 Marines returning from Iraq, who were confined to a remote location and not allowed into the main terminals, was more a misjudgment or faux pas -- a case of bad or nonexistent communication -- than malice or meanness.

But, as often happens in this age of instantaneous communication and news coverage, the incident was blown out of proportion by some pundits who dressed it up as a case of the war-weary Bay Area shunning members of our nation's military.

Fox News commentator Josh Gibson told those who partake of his postings that Oakland is "not far from San Francisco," said the Marines were "quarantined from civilians," and that "this smacks of the bad old days in the Bay Area when returning Vietnam vets were spat upon."

If that were so, we'd be as indignant as Gibson, perhaps even more so, because this is where we live. What appears to have happened, however, is much different.

North American Airlines Flight 1777 en route from Iraq to the troops' base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, had a two-hour layover here before the last leg of its long flight. While in Oakland, the troops, with their equipment and weapons, were reportedly confined to a remote part of the airport, where services were supplied. But they were not permitted to enter the main terminals at the airport.

Although some say the soldiers had been screened for security during earlier stopovers in Kuwait and New York, Oakland airport officials said they were not told that by Hilltop Aviation, which coordinated ground services. Troops aboard another flight earlier in the day, however, were allowed in the main terminal, and airport officials were briefed on how to screen the second flight, if it was needed.

Oakland airport officials also said they were not aware that some of the Marines aboard had expected to meet with friends and family during the layover. All of which prompted at least one e-mail to a member of the news media initiating the "Left Coast" analysis.

Officials at the Port of Oakland, which runs Oakland International, have been apologetic about what happened. Port Executive Director Omar Benjamin said, "There was no disrespect intended."

But, "there was confusion. There were mistakes that were made," he said, adding, "we apologize, I apologize to any members of the military that were on this flight and may have experienced some discomfort or perception of disrespect."

Mayor Ron Dellums, an ex-Marine himself, said "Oakland does not condone" mistreatment of troops serving in Iraq, who "deserve only the utmost respect." He asked Port officials to "ensure this type of situation never happens again." Improving communications between such ground handlers as Hilltop Aviation and airport officials is a place to start.

We hope and trust there will be no repeat. One lesson seemingly learned from the Vietnam era is that citizens may disagree with a war without disrespecting the soldiers who risk their lives to fight it. They are, after all, representatives of our nation doing a dirty, deadly task others won't, or are reluctant to, do. They deserve our gratitude and respect.

Now we need to get pundits and others on this side of the information age to check their facts before peddling rumor as gospel

Ellie