Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) sent a letter to the United States Army yesterday expressing concern about military personnel facing lengthy wait times for transportation back to the United States after completion of their designated tour of duty.  Congressman Higgins’ office was recently alerted to a situation where Captain Sharron Oleniacz, a Jamestown, NY resident, and over one hundred other service members, who were scheduled to return home last weekend, are held up in Kuwait awaiting transportation back to the United States. 

“Our service members, many of whom have spent over a year on dangerous and difficult assignments, should at a minimum expect that this nation, they have so valiantly defended, will provide them with timely and efficient transportation back to the U.S. and the families they left behind,” said Congressman Higgins.  “We owe them that respect.”  

This is the second time in recent months Congressman Higgins was asked to step in after local military personnel were made to wait long periods of time for transportation back to the U.S. after fulfilling their assignments.  In January Congressman Higgins worked with First Lieutenant Mark Giglio, who after completing a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq was stuck in Kuwait awaiting air transfer after eight cancellations of his flight out. 

In Captain Oleniacz’s case, the airline scheduled to transport the returning soldiers has gone bankrupt and is no longer flying.  Those stationed with Captain Oleniacz have not been notified when an alternate form of transportation will be provided.

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