Three Marines were headed home from Tokyo for some off-duty time when they were faced with an impromptu exercise -- a hostile passenger locked in the airplane bathroom.
According to a Marine Corps release, Capt. Daniel Kult, Sgt. John Dietrick and Pfc. Alexander Meinhardt were traveling stateside for various reasons via a flight from Tokyo to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. Dietrick was watching a movie when he thought he heard someone yelling.
A passenger had barricaded himself in the airplane bathroom and begun yelling threats through the door.
"I knew I had to step in when he became a danger to others and himself," Meinhardt said. "We didn't take time to talk it over. We just got ready and did what we needed to help."
With the help of airline crewmembers, the three Marines stacked up on the bathroom door. A flight attendant unlocked the door, and the three Marines tackled him before binding him. The unruly passenger was led to a seat -- and the three Marines kept an eye on him for the remainder of the flight.
The plane was rerouted to Los Angeles where the passenger was removed from the flight and sent to a mental health facility for evaluation.
All three of the Marines are assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Their unit commander praised them for their actions.
"They are all what I would call 'men of action,'" Lt. Col. Chris Niedziocha, the 1/6 commander who knows the three Marines personally, said in a statement. "I'm continually amazed by and grateful for the people we have in this battalion."
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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