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Snubbed by airlines after Kuwait mission, Louisiana National Guard soldiers arrive home by bus
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune ^ | June 18, 2014 | Paul Purpura

Posted on 06/19/2014 4:26:59 PM PDT by BBell

Soldiers in a Louisiana National Guard unit that deployed last year for a construction mission in Kuwait returned home from Texas on Wednesday, after a 15-hour bus ride that was arranged because no airline would provide a charter flight. Some of the soldiers in the 1021st Engineer Company arrived at Jackson Barracks, greeted by family and friends.

The 1021st is based in Covington and has detachments in Independence and Gonzales. The company sent 160 soldiers to Kuwait. They returned to the United States earlier this month for post-deployment training at Fort Bliss, near El Paso

(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Society
KEYWORDS: la; lanationalguard; louisiana
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Welcome back folks! Now get on the bus.
1 posted on 06/19/2014 4:26:59 PM PDT by BBell
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To: BBell

it wasn’t that the airlines didn’t want to...

they were busy ferrying the illegal alien chilluns around the country...


2 posted on 06/19/2014 4:28:10 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: BBell

Crony “capitalist” (corporatist) airlines. Those are only a few among the many men that make it safe for you to fly your planes, or perhaps you would rather more of your planes used as guided missiles.


3 posted on 06/19/2014 4:30:11 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: SgtBob; Chode

UNF’ing real!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarge, is this near You?


4 posted on 06/19/2014 4:30:59 PM PDT by mabarker1 (Please, Somebody Impeach the kenyan!!!! Once again dingy hairball, STFU!!! You corrupt POS!!!)
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To: Tennessee Nana

I wouldn’t be surprised....0 treats illegals better than he treats our vets/troops.


5 posted on 06/19/2014 4:31:52 PM PDT by Jane Long ("And when thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek")
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To: BBell

But they flew the boarder crossers from Texas to Arizona.

The country I loved is virtually gone.

.


6 posted on 06/19/2014 4:37:05 PM PDT by Mears
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To: BBell

This story kinda reminds me of the

bus ride from Ft Lewis to the Tacoma

airport in a Army bus with heavy steel

grating on the windows to protect us

from rocks.

Shame the welcome home those guys got.

Stuff like this really sticks with you

a lifetime.


7 posted on 06/19/2014 4:45:14 PM PDT by Harold Shea
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To: BBell

For airlines in TX, this is the busiest time of the year, a fact that is reflected in higher ticket prices, and sold-out flights. Unless they booked well in advance, I suspect there are no planes available, short of bumping existing passengers off flights.


8 posted on 06/19/2014 4:45:14 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: BBell

Snubbed? That word suggests a deliberate display of contempt.Is it possible that this was strictly a business decision on the part of the airlines in question? If,by chance,I’m correct on this it surely could be argued that these airlines could have gone out of their way to accommodate these soldiers but “snubbed” is a powerful word...particularly when used in connection with soldiers who’ve served in harm’s way.


9 posted on 06/19/2014 4:51:20 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Rat Party Policy:Lie,Deny,Refuse To Comply)
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To: BBell

Wow, more large planes are flying than ever and there was no room?

Wow.


10 posted on 06/19/2014 4:52:36 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Revolution is a'brewin!!!)
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To: Gay State Conservative

I guess they consider them more third class steerage or standby. Sad really, after all that time away.

I was lucky way back when.. Tiger Airlines .. 707 with a flame show in Anchorage, but we made it.

At least no one was lost , no easy feat considering travel these days


11 posted on 06/19/2014 4:56:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Revolution is a'brewin!!!)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Paging Virgin Airlines.. Richard Branson!

FREE BONUS PR Points for a plane ride home for vets!!

Just a thought, next time.. If they’re gonna pollute,

Do it for a good cause!


12 posted on 06/19/2014 4:59:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Revolution is a'brewin!!!)
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To: BBell

Doesn’t the US Army own any airplanes?


13 posted on 06/19/2014 4:59:38 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Zhang Fei

Please don’t tell me there are no spare military airplanes. If nothing else, they could use Air Force One or whatever it was that Biden used when he went to Central America.


14 posted on 06/19/2014 5:01:12 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: BBell

Considering how crammed together the seats are on most commercial airlines these days, this might have been a blessing in disguise. Give the folks returning home a chance to get some sleep before they are returned to their families.

On the other hand, it sounds more like someone did not submit the paperwork with a long enough lead time for the airlines to re-task aircraft.


15 posted on 06/19/2014 5:04:57 PM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: BBell

It’s a damned shame we don’t have an Air Force that has transport planes.

In an imaginary world there would be C5s and C17s available.


16 posted on 06/19/2014 5:06:36 PM PDT by Rockpile
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To: BBell
LOL! When I returned home from overseas in January, 1972, after spending almost 2 1/2 years in Central America, we were all diverted to Ft. Jackson, SC due to the early outs that were being issued.

This was a Friday night, and since I was the last guy off the bus, I had the good fortune of being put up in a decommissioned barracks all to myself.

Unfortunately, the temperature in Ft. Jackson at that time was about 30 degrees, the barracks had no electricity, no heat and no running water. Add to that the fact the supply depot had run out of blankets so all they had to offer me was three sets of sheets.

I spent my first night home in the states in a dark and cold barracks, sleeping in my Summer dress greens, trying to stay warm with 3 sheets..............

The following morning, several other guys in my unit found out where I was housed and came and got me and took me to their barracks which as it turns out, had a vacant bunk that I could have slept in that first night.......

Monday morning came, we all reported promptly to the out processing center and at about 8:30 a.m. my name was finally called and I sat down at the desk of the out processing clerk.

He gave me my paperwork, (I'm thinking great, I'm finally out of the army!) asked me to look it over to make sure all the information was correct. When I looked it over, I noticed my last name was misspelled. He then told me to go back and have a seat...........

I sat there until 2:30 PM that afternoon until I was finally called again....the paperwork was finally correct, I was given my discharge papers and returned to the barracks to gather up my stuff but not before disrobing my dress greens and throwing them in the trash and putting on civilian clothes.

I then connected with a buddy and we found a payphone in which to call an airlines to book our own flights home to our respective cities and shared a taxi to the airport...........

Nothing about the military is truly efficient but you learn to deal with it and not complain......

17 posted on 06/19/2014 5:08:32 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco (By now, everyone should know that you shoot a zombie in the head. Don't try to reason with them...)
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To: taxcontrol
The military chartered buses to return the soldiers to Louisiana, after no airlines companies submitted bids to the U.S. Army to provide the troops with a chartered flight.

Yep, could be a bidding timing issue. However ... does not the United States have airlift capacity? We can't move soldiers from El Paso???

18 posted on 06/19/2014 5:09:24 PM PDT by NonValueAdded ("The Arab Spring is over. Welcome to the Jihadi Spring." Jonah Goldberg)
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To: BBell

As a military mom, I would be angry. They knew well in advance when these troops would be home.

As for why they were in Kuwait...from the photo...
“, deployed more than 160 Soldiers to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to conduct vertical construction operations, including building, concrete, and plumbing and electrical systems. (Spc. Joshua Barnett, Louisiana National Guard)”

Uh, Kuwait...its been how many years since the first gulf war and they still don’t know how to build? Who built their oil wells?


19 posted on 06/19/2014 5:10:57 PM PDT by huldah1776
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To: DManA

maybe Pelosi could pull some strings for her old friends in new Orleans.. Have the wine coolers removed from her standby 757 and have it out fitted for troops..

She sure acts like she still has pull.

Obviously Mary landreau has none. And what up! Jindal?


20 posted on 06/19/2014 5:12:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Revolution is a'brewin!!!)
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