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Article: U.S. crew members leave China for Guam, Hawaii, home.(The Dallas Morning News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- April 11, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON_Two dozen crew members from a Navy surveillance plane headed home Wednesday night after a U.S. statement of regret ended an 11-day standoff with China that strained relations between the countries.
A chartered 737 Continental jet picked up the 21 men and three women on Hainan Island, off the China coast, and flew them toward Hawaii with an intermediate stop scheduled in Guam.
"We can't wait for them to get home," President Bush told a cheering crowd in Greenville, N.C.
The Chinese announced their release early Wednesday as a "humanitarian gesture" after U.S. officials said they were "very sorry" the EP-3E reconnaissance plane landed ...