Hard landing strands Patriot Express passengers at Marine air station in Japan
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Buy PhotoMany delayed Patriot Express passengers slept on cots inside a gym at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, after a hard landing on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, forced their flight to return to Tokyo for repairs. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan The air station’s North Gym basketball court was temporary home for 165 passengers bound for Okinawa after a hard landing Tuesday sent their Patriot Express flight back to Yokota Air Base for repairs.
Most of the delayed passengers slept on cots and dined on Burger King, teriyaki chicken and sandwiches. Forty-one passengers, parents with infant children, were afforded rooms at a hotel on the air station, MCAS Iwakuni spokesman Maj. Joshua Diddams told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.
Lehigh County Jail officer who died from COVID remembered for his ’bright smile and positivity’
Updated Jan 21, 2021;
The director of Lehigh County corrections on Thursday paid homage to the county jail’s first corrections officer to die from COVID-19.
Gary Dean, 30, was a dedicated member of the jail staff and a true asset, Director Janine Donate said in a prepared statement.
Dean, who lived in Upper Nazareth Township, was pronounced dead on Tuesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said.
“(Dean’s) professional demeanor, bright smile, and positivity was uplifting and encouraging to everyone around him. We extend our most sincere condolences to his family and friends as we grieve this incredible loss,” Donate said.