25 Jan 2006

Stranded American Samoan soldiers to return tomorrow

4:43 pm on 25 January 2006

Four American Samoa soldiers who had been left stranded in Honolulu are expected to arrive back in American Samoa tomorrow.

They are the first group of more than 90 reservists to travel home from Iraq, after missing their charter flight home from Honolulu.

Judy Taufetee, whose husband is one of the soldiers still in Hawaii, says the delay has meant the soldiers have to make their own way home.

She says Hawaiian Air is trying to accomodate soldiers on flights that are already fully booked.

Ms Taufetee says the four men are flying from Honolulu to Los Angeles, then to New Zealand, and then to Apia in Samoa.

"That is if Samoa will let them, because of international law so I don't know. Soldiers have had a problem before, so I hope the governor has a heads up on that issue."

Judy Taufetee.