An email from one of the troops-good read

[Vegasdan]

This from one of our heroes coming home from defending our freedom.....

As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards. Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana, to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That's where the stupid started.
First, everyone was forced to get off the plane-even though the plane wasn't refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.
It's probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren't loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.
The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it reinspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to re-inspect our cargo-just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, re-inspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.
This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols.
So we're in line, going through one at a time. One of our Soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the Soldier that they're going to confiscate his nail clippers. The conversation went something like this

TSA Guy: You can't take those on the plane.

Soldier: What? I've had them since we left country.

TSA Guy: You're not supposed to have them.

Soldier: Why?

TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.

Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I'm allowed to take it on.

TSA Guy: Yeah but you can't use it to take over the plane. You don't have bullets.

Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?

TSA Guy: [awkward silence]

Me: Dude, just give him your damn nail clippers so we can get out of here. I'll buy you a new set.

Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

To top it off, the TSA demanded we all be swabbed for "explosive residue" detection. Everyone failed, [go figure, we just came home from a war zone], because we tested positive for "Gun Powder Residue". Who the hell is hiring these people?
This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns-but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

Can someone please tell me: What happened to OUR country while we were gone?

Sgt. Mad Dog Tracy

[sandersmr]

Kind of puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

[powerboatr]

a few things happened

TSA has had more grey matter removed from their policy makers, beause they fialed miserably at just about every airport in the country

your CO should have bent tsa in half and let you board and go home to be with your loved ones,
THANK YOU for your SERVICE


was the ING departure at a commercial airfield or a guard field

I think TSA thinks it funny to inconvenience anyone, especially those that actually have real jobs like yours

you guys should have got into formation...and aimed at TSA i bet some stuff would have moved then

and you guys are easy targets for tsa, they know you want to get home and will comply with their ridiculous methods

anyway
DID i say WELCOME Home yet?
WELCOME HOME We appreciate you and what you do

[Seajay]

To Sgt. Mad Dog Tracy.

One. As a former Sailor from before you were born, let me apologize to you and your hero's for your deplorable treatment as a ''Welcome Home'' given you by people that should not be allowed to eat with a fork.
These ''dip weeds'' in the TSA should have to spend some time in the sand box you guys came in from and they would come back to the USA and kiss the ground. (its hard for a Sailor to say ''dip weed'' there is a better words but this is a family forum)
Two. Ten thousand thank you's for your service to this great nation. You can ask anyone on this forum and they will tell you that I am one of our biggest supporters of our troops. Again, I most profoundly apologize for your deplorable treatment and I welcome you back to this country.
Please try to understand that these people with the TSA probably don't qualify as a door greeter at WallyWorld but their brother in law got them the job with the TSA and they have to make themselves feel important by harassing our service men and women that will jump thru hoops in order to get home to their friends and family.
Three.... Again, may God bless you for your service and lets all pray that these TSA ''jugheads'' get HEMORRHOIDS and jock itch real bad....

God bless our troops and bring them ALL HOME safe and real soon....

p.s. In retrospect I wish your LT. could have formed you guys, called you to attention, screamed ''FIX BAYONETS'' and ''PREPARE TO CHARGE'' and watched them TSA people wet their pants....lol...

[TXiceman]

TSA = Terminally Stupid A(you fill in the rest).

Ken

[FDchief]

Vegasdan, first of all, let me give you and the rest of the gang on the flight home a warm thank you, and congrats on a job well done.

Now is regards to the TSA; I guess they are doing a valuable service, even though I haven't seen any evidence to that fact yet. The underlying theme is a good one, but the people who are hired to accomplish the task are embarrassing nitwits. I saw an 80 y/o grandmother pulled from the line for a random body scan during a recent flight. I can't believe this lady was given the wand treatment! Let me see, most terrorist suspects have been 25-45 years of age, and middle eastern descent. She fit the profile! I was relieved when they x-rayed her walker. Tragedy averted

[Vegasdan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FDchief Vegasdan, first of all, let me give you and the rest of the gang on the flight home a warm thank you, and congrats on a job well done. Now is regards to the TSA; I guess they are doing a valuable service, even though I haven't seen any evidence to that fact yet. The underlying theme is a good one, but the people who are hired to accomplish the task are embarrassing nitwits. I saw an 80 y/o grandmother pulled from the line for a random body scan during a recent flight. I can't believe this lady was given the wand treatment! Let me see, most terrorist suspects have been 25-45 years of age, and middle eastern descent. She fit the profile! I was relieved when they x-rayed her walker. Tragedy averted

I can't accept thanks where it's not due, I just posted what I received in an email. It's a good article from the guys who were on that flight. But let's you and I both thank those heros who protect us every day.

[FDchief]

Duly Noted. Thanks for bringing me back from my TSA nightmare.

[edj]

You can't fix STUPID.....

[edj]

I take back my comment in the previous post.... I was the stupid one for believing the first post without confirming it first. I entered the first sentence of the post in Google "As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following".

This thing has been all over the net. I found that the post was investigated at FactCheck.org and they found that it is NOT TRUE. It is just another creation made up by some govt hater.

[Vegasdan]

Sure sounded right. Thanks for checking.

[Wayne M]

I don't think it was a "Government hater." The rules that they have come up with are so ridiculous. A fingernail clipper without a file or blade, just the small end clipper, is not allowed. Bull crap! I'm definitely not a Government hater. But the powers that be need to realize that EVERYTHING is a weapon. ............ I just deleted everything that I was writing of what can be used as a weapon because I realized this is an open forum. I just don't want to give some scum sucking wanna-be ammunition. Just use your imagination. The TSA certainly has - to a point - but not far enough with the right things.

To all our troops, past and present, welcome home.

[indiana journey]

Thanks edj. When I read something like this, one of the first things that I do is to do some research. Like you, I found that it wasn't true.
The internet has opened up our lives to this sort of things. If we aren't careful, and check things out a little farther, we will all be paranoid to do anything outside of our own homes.
While I don't care for the TSA, I can see that it is doing some good. If it saves one life, it has been worth all of the inconvienences we have had to suffer.
Indiana Journey