Iraq-bound US troops in unexpected Cork stopover

US TROOPS en route to Iraq said they were overwhelmed by the welcome at Cork Airport after an unexpected weekend landing.

Their Omni Air military charter Boeing 757, which had departed the Fort Riley US army base in Kansas, was due to refuel at Shannon Airport but was diverted to Cork due to fog, landing on runway 17 at around 3.40pm on Saturday.

It is understood it is the first time in the airport’s history that US troops have landed at Cork and spent time in the terminal.

The aircraft was carrying around 200 soldiers, including members of the Marine Corps, the National Guard and reserves, who spent the last two weeks on a mid-tour break from active service with family and friends in the US.

Dressed in desert fatigues, they disembarked and spent almost five hours on the air-side of the terminal building.

They mingled freely and chatted openly with the airport’s other passengers.

There were also several soldiers from one of America’s most famous divisions – the 1st Infantry Division – whose members wear the “Big Red One” patch on their left shoulder.

The division was the first on to the D-Day beaches of Normandy in 1944, first into Vietnam in 1965, and first into Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The division is now supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Major Pete Lind, of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, said he and his forces were overwhelmed by the welcome at Cork.

“The facilities were great, and we got great service. We were conscious of the sensitivities of our presence there, but we were really well received and well looked after,” he said.

“We enjoyed the free Wi-Fi, the shopping and the restaurant. I think we may have ate everything in it.”

His brigade will resume active duty in Tikrit, north of Baghdad on Monday, and complete a seven- month tour. Their aircraft departed just before 9pm, bound for Kuwait.

Figures revealed by the Irish Examiner recently showed that taxpayers have spent almost €10 million protecting US troops passing through Shannon Airport between 2006 and 2009. It includes €8.6 million on Garda security and more than €964,000 on army patrols of the airport.

More than 243,000 US troops passed through Shannon last year, an average of 665 per day.

The US military stopovers are worth around €7 million to the airport.

Anti-war campaigners have severely criticised the cost and believe it undermines Irish neutrality.