CHICAGO — Ryan Miller and his wife, Anna Culhane, of Wauwatosa, are back on American soil after being stranded in Dubai as conflict in the Middle East escalated.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Wauwatosa couple stuck in Dubai; Greendale native in Kuwait as Middle East conflict escalates
The couple arrived at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Friday and said they are so happy to be home.
Miller and Culhane had been in India for a family wedding before traveling to Dubai, where they found themselves trapped when the situation unfolded. Their ordeal began when their flight was stopped just before takeoff.
"Our plane was actually on the tarmac; we were on the runway. We were probably five minutes from lift off when we found out the US struck Iran," Miller said.
Watch: Wauwatosa couple stranded in Dubai during Middle East conflict returns home to Wisconsin
The couple sheltered in place inside their hotel room in the days that followed.
"It's been an anxious time, it's been a stressful couple of days," Miller said.
Miller described the fear he and his wife felt upon arriving at their hotel.
"It was pretty scary on Saturday, hearing all the booms going off as we're like...we showed up at the hotel and we were waiting in line to check-in. And you can hear the occasional the missiles getting blown up, the drones getting blown up," Miller said.
While still in Dubai, Miller told TMJ4 that the inability to leave despite government warnings left him feeling let down.
"It feels like they have abandoned us," Miller said.
The U.S. State Department has since chartered jets to bring home thousands of trapped Americans waiting to get out of the region.
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