A group of US soldiers, returning from active duty in Iraq, caused a security alert in Co Clare yesterday after they left their hotel without permission, and went sight-seeing in Ennis while still in uniform. Pat Flynn reports.
The seven soldiers were among 213 US military personnel who were staying at the Clare Inn Hotel near Newmarket-on-Fergus while repairs were being carried out to their plane at Shannon Airport. The aircraft had landed in the early hours at Shannon after developing technical problems while crossing the Atlantic.
The troops, who were all wearing desert fatigues, were travelling back to Baltimore for a two-week break having spent several months based in Kuwait and Iraq.
Soldiers of a foreign army require permission from the Department of Defence under the Defence Act to appear in public in uniform on Irish soil. The personnel at the centre of yesterday's drama did not have the required authorisation.
The plane, which had only left Shannon two hours earlier, was more than 400 miles across the Atlantic when the pilot requested permission to return to Shannon. Aer Rianta confirmed yesterday that "no emergency was declared" and the plane "landed safely shortly after 6.00 a.m".
The 213 troops were taken to the airport's transit lounge before being transported some hours later to the Clare Inn Hotel near Ennis.
Insp Tom Kennedy, of Ennis Garda station, said while he did not feel there was an immediate threat to the soldiers, he was concerned that "wearing their uniforms in public might be seen as provocative by some people, particularly those who hold strong views about the situation in Iraq.
"Some people feel very strongly about military aircraft refuelling at Shannon and we have seen this at the various anti-war protests in the past. We would be concerned that the presence of US troops in uniform appearing in public could spark an incident and that one of them might be assaulted," Insp Kennedy said.
A garda spotted five of the group of seven at an ATM machine in Ennis yesterday morning. The officer advised them they should not be in public in uniform. Arrangements were made to have the troops returned to the hotel.
However, two soldiers could not be located immediately, but were tracked down a short-time later and were also returned to the hotel by gardaí.
Gardaí confirmed that the soldiers would have been free to appear in public if they were wearing civilian clothing and if they had permission from their senior officer. Speaking at the hotel yesterday, many of the troops were "anxious to get back in the air" and return home.
Admiring the scenery, one military police officer said: "Wow, this is amazing. All the green and the trees, it's totally different to where we have been for the past few months. Forty degrees heat and nothing but sand."
Soldiers took photographs of each other in the grounds of the hotel under the watchful eye of gardaí. Others could be seen enjoying pints of Guinness in the hotel bar.
American Transair aircraft, all carrying US troops, have been involved in as many as 12 emergencies in the past 11 months at Shannon since US civilian aircraft began carrying troops to and from the Gulf.