Military Families return to Misawa Air Base

By Staff Sgt. Marie Brown, 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published April 24, 2011

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Col. Al Wimmer, 35 Fighter Wing Vice Commander, gives four-year-old Mark Gillett, son of Staff Sgt. Mark Gillett, 35th Communications Squadron, a "high five" as he steps off the plane 22 April. Mark and his mother were among more than 1,300 dependents from Misawa AB who participated in the Defense Department approved voluntary departure for families affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Col. Al Wimmer, 35 Fighter Wing Vice Commander, gives four-year-old Mark Gillett, son of Staff Sgt. Mark Gillett, 35th Communications Squadron, a "high five" as he steps off the plane 22 April. Mark and his mother were among more than 1,300 dependents from Misawa AB who participated in the Defense Department approved voluntary departure for families affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Staff Sgt. Jason Kidd, 35th Security Forces customs officer, ensures Nicole Way, spouse of Senior Airman Christopher Way, 35th Communications Squadron, clears customs 22 April. Military family members, Defense Department civilians and contractors assigned to mainland Japan were eligible to depart for a period not to exceed 30 days. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Staff Sgt. Jason Kidd, 35th Security Forces customs officer, ensures Nicole Way, spouse of Senior Airman Christopher Way, 35th Communications Squadron, clears customs 22 April. Military family members, Defense Department civilians and contractors assigned to mainland Japan were eligible to depart for a period not to exceed 30 days. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – A Boeing 767 aircraft, dubbed the “Patriot Express,” arrives 22 April. More than 150 passengers returned to Misawa AB on the first flight after the voluntary authorized departure order was lifted by the Defense Department 15 April. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – A Boeing 767 aircraft, dubbed the “Patriot Express,” arrives 22 April. More than 150 passengers returned to Misawa AB on the first flight after the voluntary authorized departure order was lifted by the Defense Department 15 April. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Capt. Brandi Rountree, 35th Fighter Wing sexual assault response coordinator, holds her daughter Mikaia Rountree, 22 April. During a one-week period following the 11 March earthquake in Japan, more than 1,300 family members travelled to locations in the U.S. on one of six chartered flights that departed Misawa as part of the Department of State-authorized voluntary departure program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Capt. Brandi Rountree, 35th Fighter Wing sexual assault response coordinator, holds her daughter Mikaia Rountree, 22 April. During a one-week period following the 11 March earthquake in Japan, more than 1,300 family members travelled to locations in the U.S. on one of six chartered flights that departed Misawa as part of the Department of State-authorized voluntary departure program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Senior Airman Kai Hall, 35th Communications Squadron, gets big hugs from his son Izaiah, and daughter Aniyah, 22 April. Airman Hall's wife Christina and children returned to Misawa on the first Patriot Express flight along with more than 150 other passengers. The families were in the United States as part of the Department of State-authorized voluntary departure program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Senior Airman Kai Hall, 35th Communications Squadron, gets big hugs from his son Izaiah, and daughter Aniyah, 22 April. Airman Hall's wife Christina and children returned to Misawa on the first Patriot Express flight along with more than 150 other passengers. The families were in the United States as part of the Department of State-authorized voluntary departure program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marie Brown)

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- A Boeing 767 aircraft carrying more than 150 passengers arrived here 22 April, one week after the Department of Defense ended the voluntary departure authorization for military dependents affected by the 11 March earthquake. The flight was the first of three chartered missions, commissioned specifically to reunite family members with their loved ones at Misawa Air Base from the United States.

Airmen of the 35th Fighter Wing have been working around the clock to ensure those who want to return on one of the special flights, commonly known as the "patriot express," receive reservations. Travel for family members includes two trips: One flight to travel from their safe haven location to Seattle, and another on the patriot express flight to bring them to Misawa. Their return signals the final phase of a return to normalcy as the base recovers from the quake.

"We look forward to the return of our Misawa families," said Col. Michael Rothstein, 35th FW commander. "We'll do our best to support them whether they are coming back tonight, next week, or sometime this summer."