Individuals go to the opening event for the remodelled Yokota Guest Terminal at Yokota Air Base, Japan, June 13, 2022. (Hannah Bean/U.S. Flying Force)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The Flying force said it’s making modifications at its air terminals around the globe to secure taking a trip animals after a family’s dog passed away in transit July 1 in Japan.
For the remainder of the summertime, Air Movement Command will permit taking a trip animals into climate-controlled terminals when the outdoors temperature level reaches 85 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a post Wednesday on the command’s main Facebook page. Summertime is when lots of military households transfer to their brand-new responsibility stations.
Guest terminals run by the 515th Air Movement Operations Wing throughout the Indo-Pacific likewise will store animals in a climate-controlled environment as they await their flights, Maj. Hope Cronin, a spokesperson for Air Movement Command at Scott Flying Force Base, Ill., said in an email Wednesday.
The dog, Kolbie, a 10-year-old Pomeranian mix, passed away of heat stroke on the Patriot Express throughout its leg in between Yokota Air Base and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, both in Japan. The dog’s owners, Amber Marie Panko and Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Panko, faulted airplane handlers at Yokota in western Tokyo for leaving the dog in a garage throughout a stopover. The Pankos had actually gotten here in Japan after a 12-hour flight from Seattle.
“Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, and the commander of the 730th Air Mobility Squadron, personally reached out to the Panko family to extend their condolences at the loss of Kolbie, get additional details on what occurred, and assure them that all measures are being taken to ensure AMC Patriot Express missions are as safe as possible for families traveling with pets,” said the command’s declaration on Facebook.
The 730th Air Movement Squadron is bring back power to a nearby, short-lived terminal center at Yokota to offer extra locations for households with animals and is sourcing an airplane a/c cart to help keep animals cool throughout the packing procedure, Cronin said in her email to Stars and Stripes. The traveler terminal at Yokota resumed June 13 after a substantial, $27.5 million restoration.
“We recognize pets are a deeply important part of many families’ lives, and we take seriously the responsibility of safely transporting them when they are entrusted to our care,” said Air Movement Command.
The command said it is examining whether all family pet transportation procedures were followed when the Patriot Express stopped at Yokota on July 1. “At this time, our initial findings indicate our aerial port specialists followed established pet transport protocols and there is no evidence of intentional negligence. Unfortunately, these protocols did not adequately factor in the extremely high temperatures and humidity Yokota was experiencing over the July 4 weekend,” said the declaration on Facebook.
The command likewise dealt with a Facebook post Monday by Leave No Paws Behind U.S.A. that 2 other dogs had actually passed away on the exact same Patriot Express flight with Kolbie. The Patriot Express is a government-contracted air service that flies in between the U.S. and abroad military bases.
No other dogs passed away on that flight, according to the command. The 515th Air Movement Operations Group, the parent system to the 730th at Yokota, discovered that 10 other dogs on the exact same flight showed up securely at their locations.
“While we cannot change the outcome of this unfortunate situation, AMC leadership is committed to ensuring this never happens again,” said the Air Movement Command declaration.
Nevertheless, one dog obviously passed away in June aboard a Patriot Express flight out of Guam.
Navy partner Julie Barker, 38, of Chicago, was on a flight from Guam to Chicago through Seattle on June 5 when she saw that another traveler had actually lost his dog, a pug.
The dogs were kept in dog crates 6 hours prior to the flight left Guam, Barker said. She said she grumbled up until she was enabled to stroll her dog prior to the flight.
The flight picked up a stopover at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
“When we arrived, I took my dog out and then I see this guy holding his dog in his arms and at first I thought he was just cuddling him,” Barker informed Stars and Stripes by phone on Wednesday. “Then I look at him and he’s like crying and I’m just like ‘Oh, my God is he dead? And he’s like, ‘Yes.’ ”
She said the dog might not reach its water bottle, which was twisted outside his cage.
Barker said the dog owner decreased to speak with Stars and Stripes. Cronin did not instantly react to an email from Stars and Stripes asking for more info.
“When he opened the crate, the dog was dead and he said that his first reaction was like, he’s still warm,” Barker said. “I asked him, what do you want me to do? We need to do something because it’s, it’s horrible.”
