Well, there is now an article in the Seattle Times about our very own Flight 929 and the "Gambo Strandees". It was featured today (Saturday September 29th). Here is how it all happened....

Our 777 pilot, Captain Mike Ballard, sent a very nice thank you letter to my boss, the Chief of Police in Bellevue Washington. I met Mike early in the week on one of his trips to Gambo and we briefly spoke about security for the plane on the return trip to Chicago.

Unbeknownst to me, Mike had United check me out and they called Bellevue PD to verify. Prior to our departure from Gander Mike met with me and we planned a simple security plan. There was a slight issue of concern, but we planned around that and I helped them out. I was not alone in this guard duty. We arrived in Chicago safely thanks to the extreme professionalism of that entire 929 crew.

Well, my Chief thought it was a good idea for our Public Information Officer to mention the Gambo story to several members of the Seattle media. The next thing I know, I was requested to give two interviews about our little detour. One for KIRO channel 7 and one for the Seattle Times. I was a little embarrassed, but what the heck, my kids liked it. I told it like it was and as you have already found out in your own communities, people ARE interested in this story.

Here is the link to our story in the Times. The reporter, Michael Ko, did a great job and even phoned several folks in Gambo. He even mentioned the "Screeching in" ceremony. Enjoy.