PAX Terminal becomes pet hotel for a night

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lynsie Nichols
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Often, when people think of the Air Mobility Command Passenger Terminal at Yokota Air Base, they think of people coming and going -- not a place for housing pets.

But a "pet hotel" is exactly what the terminal became recently, when, on Dec. 30, a snow storm in South Korea grounded a Yokota-bound Patriot Express, keeping the plane at Kunsan Air Base and causing a delay for both Yokota passengers and their pets, waiting to return to the states.

"As soon as we found out from Korea that the aircraft would be delayed, our Passenger Services representatives from the 730th Air Mobility Squadron immediately started coordinating with base transportation and lodging services in order to line up buses and room reservations for our passengers," said Ernest Weber, 730th AMS air terminal operations manager.

Pet kennels located both on and off base, as well as pet-friendly hotels, were contacted, but the facilities had no vacancies.

"Since we exhausted just about every option, we made the decision to put the pets in my office next to the passenger terminal," said Mr. Weber, a native of Mililani, Hawaii.

Despite working 12-hour shifts earlier in the day, Mr. Weber and 1st Lt. Anders Johnson, 730th AMS Officer in charge of passenger fleet and services, and 2nd Lt. Timothy Truong, 730th AMS Officer in charge of cargo processing, volunteered to "pet-sit" four cats and two dogs through the night while passengers rested at the Kanto Lodge.

"We simply wanted to help ease a tense situation," said Mr. Weber. "Being pet owners as well, we know how hard it is to [travel between posts] with pets, and we're sure the passengers rested a little easier knowing their pets would be safe and warm through the night."

Lt. Johnson, a native of Paso Robles, CA, was not planning on staying up most of the night watching animals, but he found it to be worth his effort.

"The best and worst part about dealing with passengers is that they come up with problems you've never really thought about before," said Lt. Johnson. "Unique problems need creative solutions, and we were able to deal with the situation without inconveniencing the passengers or impacting the Airmen in the terminal, who did the real work of processing the mission the next day."

Yokota is Lt. Truong's first base. A native of Camarillo, CA, he was more than happy to help out.

"It feels good to know that we made a small difference in people's lives," said Lt. Truong. "They really had nowhere else to turn, so we had to step up."

Mr. Weber maintains a humble attitude about his part in watching the pets.

"We don't think that we did anything special; we simply lent a helping hand," Mr. Weber said. "This is one of those things you usually don't find in an Air Force Instruction or rule book. It basically boils down to doing the right thing and stepping up when folks are in a bind and need help."