Senior Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Mellos shows off his tee-shirt emblazoned with the phrase ТAn American LegendУ as he begins his celebration aboard a chartered aircraft after being released at Haikou, China, on April 12, 2001, during Operation Valiant Return. Mellos, a Navy Aviation MachinistХs Mate, is one of 24 crew members detained for 11 days after their EP-3 Aries II reconnaissance aircraft made forced landing on Hainan Island as a result of a collision with a Chinese F-8 fighter aircraft. The crew will stop briefly in Guam to change planes and will then continue on to Hawaii for mil
Senior Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Mellos shows off his tee-shirt emblazoned with the phrase ТAn American LegendУ as he begins his celebration aboard a chartered aircraft after being released at Haikou, China, on April 12, 2001, during Operation Valiant Return. Mellos, a Navy Aviation MachinistХs Mate, is one of 24 crew members detained for 11 days after their EP-3 Aries II reconnaissance aircraft made forced landing on Hainan Island as a result of a collision with a Chinese F-8 fighter aircraft. The crew will stop briefly in Guam to change planes and will then continue on to Hawaii for military debriefings before a final reunion with families and friends on the mainland. Mellos is from Ypsilanti, Mich.
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Keywords: 010412--1589g-010, archive, armed, defence, forces, iraq, jpg, military, reportage, samarra, servicemen, turn, usa, weapons
