News United States Air Force
 Families ordered to leave Turkey arriving in USPublished April 1, 2016
                        
                        By Staff Sgt. Christopher Gross
                        
                        
                        Air Force News Service
                **FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS)  --**
                Military dependents and pets began arriving at Baltimore Washington International Airport, Maryland, March 31 following an ordered departure of Defense Department dependents due to security concerns in some areas of Turkey.
Dependents arriving at BWI were flown on Air Mobility Command’s C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and various charted flights departing from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Once at BWI, the family members went to connecting flights, waited for a flight, or made other travel arrangements. Airmen from Detachment 1, 305th Aerial Port Squadron, stationed at the airport, played a key role in ensuring a smooth transition.
During the “special assigned airlift missions,” Lt. Col. Bary Flack, the 305th APS commander, said he was thrilled with how his team assisted families. The Airmen coordinated with numerous agencies and commands at Ramstein AB and BWI.
“The partnership with the BWI airport authorities has been outstanding,” Flack said. “They’ve been great partners, to see not only how our folks adapted but the airports’ adapted.”
Several other airport agencies, including the USO and Red Cross, assisted passengers as they traveled through the airport.
Red Cross staff members helped in a variety of ways as families exited the terminals. Comfort kits, which included hygiene products, infant diapers, and dog and cat food for people with pets, were made available.
The Red Cross even provided more than 20 hotel rooms for families who had to spend the night as they waited to resume traveling.
Brittany Fowler, the spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region, said her team's job was to make this time a little bit easier for those departing from Adana, Izmir and Mugla, Turkey, including Incirlik AB.
“We know they’ve had a long journey and for them to come out and smile at us and just say ‘thank you’ is huge,” Fowler said.
Fowler said her team also worked with the USO to offer a seamless transition from the terminal to the USO facility.
Within the USO, families and individuals had the opportunity to enjoy some of its amenities, including TV, computer access, Wi-Fi, gaming systems, free snacks and more. Several local restaurants also provided food over the past few days, giving away hundreds of meals.
“This is what we do in terms of service to the armed forces,” Fowler said. “People know us mostly for emergency communications, but we try to make sure that we are as available as (much as) possible for our service men and women and their families.”
Other commands participating in the care of the military families included U. S. Transportation Command, U. S. Northern Command and U. S. Army North (Fifth Army). Each command coordinated actions to ensure people going through this event were treated with the best personal service possible.
U.S. European Command officials announced March 29 that this move does not signify a permanent decision to end accompanied tours in Turkey.turkey 



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