Immediately following two separate strip-searches of grandmothers well into their 80s last year, the Transportation Security Administration initially said they merely followed screening procedures. But in a letter discussing the cases of both Ruth Sherman, 89, and Lenore Zimmerman, 85, the federal agency admitted that their agents deviated from standard practise. While they apologised for the treatment of these two elderly women, both Ms Sherman and Ms Zimmerman stick to their stories and said they were forced to strip in humiliating circumstances.