Posted on 08/16/2006 12:15:31 PM PDT by rightalien
A little-known fact about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that the U.S. military requires soldiers to travel in uniform from theater. An even lesser known fact is that the Transportation Security Administration aggressively targets war veterans as they travel home to their loved ones.
At Baltimore's airport on my way back to Orlando from Iraq, there were about 50 soldiers in line, waiting to be cleared by TSA. I noticed soldiers taking off clothing, and then they assumed the position so commonly seen in police-chase videos, arms and legs spread wide as a screener passed a wand close to their bodies. Soldiers were asked to remove belts, boots and shirts, and their carry-on bags were ransacked.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Bless you. That means a lot and improves morale. I know a friend of mine returning from Iraq was cheered up quite a bit by the kindness of a stranger at DFW.
Damned right it's profiling.
The camel jockey in front of the line gets a cursory check of his bag but the American soldier get's strip searched?
Penatta's sucessor has some 'splainin' to do.
"That spec 4 (or whatever) wanted my ass, which I found a little disturbing, oddly there was no follow up search, I was simply sent on."
It's always a remf spec 4 isn't it?
When I cleared Siagon they read off a list of forbidden articles they would not allow us to take back home.
Our attention was directed to rows of topless 55 gallon drums as we were informed if we deposited any of the items on the list, no questions would be asked but once we passed those drums and a forbidden item was found on us or in our luggage, we would wish we had never been born.
Lots or playing cards with printed porn pictures could be seen in the barrels....ditto on some smoking material I'm sure.
If someone really wanted to send an AK home they probably would have previously mailed it home Johnny Cash style, one piece at at a time.
Hey!. TSA! Do you know that I defend this? Do you know what it is?
(time for a cigarette I'm so pissed. sorry for the rant)
These things are detected by x-ray machines and metal detectors, you don't need to strip search the soldier to determine that they aren't there.
"He pulled this one gal aside and started asking a couple of questions - she couldn't even identify her unit patch,"
Sounds like the phony vets that can't remember what unit they served with in Vietnam, because it was a "long time ago", or the homeless vets that told me about his time with the 87th Airborne Division, or the guy in the bar describing to me the 1000ft. jump towers at "his" jump school.
TSA is an uncompetent group of equal opportunity losers working for mid-management idiots and led at the top by a political hack appointee who couldn't find his rearend with either hand. I sure feel safer knowing they're on alert.
Nothing is fail-safe, but there should be two big indicators, a military ID and an official U.S. passport. If they are flying commercial they should have the latter.
LOL - those are all good ones. I've met a few self-proclaimed SEALs, too.
Sure, and there haven't been ANY cases of soldiers caught with weapons brought back from ODS or OIF.
Stuff made it back then and is making it back now.
See other posts attesting to this.
The short answer is "no." The cards have encrypted information on them. Because they're secure, they're used for access to military bases and sensitive military computer networks.
I don't like the way TSA screeners handle U.S. military troops. In a way I understand it, but I still wish that airport screening could be done better for those who serve -- especially those with higher rank and high-level security clearances.
So whatever happened to Sgt Akbar?
Good for you! That is an excellent way of saying "Thanks."
Good question.
I think I recall him being convicted in a military court, but it would be nice if he was humping Allah's goat in hell with Zarqawi and other dead Islam-0-swine.
When I returned from Iraq two years ago, wearing my uniform as was the rest of our advisor team, the Baltimore TSA shut down the security area as I had left an EMPTY 9mm magazine in my carry-on. After months in the desert training the Iraqi Army, going on countless operations, and getting decorated by General Petraeus before leaving Baghdad, I get frisked and have my magazine confiscated. Those idiots even took a picture of my military ID. One of them had the temerity to tell me that they were doing it for our safety. I growled that I was very much familiar with the war on terror having just returned from Baghdad.
TSA: Thousands Standing Around or Terrifically Stupid and Annoying. Yet another success story of this administration.
Semper fi,
CJM
Government paralysis isn't all bad. If they really went to work they would paralyze everyone!
yep.... I have seen the TSA hassle the troops at Atlanta.
but I still wish that airport screening could be done better for those who serve -- especially those with higher rank and high-level security clearances.
=
Keep screwing the privates eh.
The TSA is a joke. Misfits as screeners with bloated egos, litle or no training and a desire to throw their authority around because NOBODY, let me say that again, NOBODY can or is willing to control them.
Thank you for your replies.
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