More TSA "stuff"

[G-Rex]

That article is sickening. I'm with Caveman. This is ridiculous.

I've been flying a bit recently for work. I haven't had to fly since the screening procedures were stepped up, but since we don't have the scanners here, I wonder if everyone is being subjected to patdowns or if it is random.

I'll be sure to report back once I go through the next time on the experience, since apparently the TSA here doesn't mind stripping someone down to their underwear. Still not sure what that was all about.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by caveman

This sucks. Fucking terrorists fucking succeeded.

[fatbuckRTO]

There are elements of Mad Dog's story that make me think that particular story is bullshit. One is that I just left Bagram* in July and there were no full body scanners there. Maybe they had them installed in the last few months, who knows.

That said, military members do fly back on chartered commercial flights with weapons in hand. Happens all the time.

More pertinent, though, is a recount my team leader gave me of one of his fellow Customs and Border agent's encounter with TSA. CBP agents are allowed to fly with their government issued side arm if they agree to act as a "default" sky marshall for the flight. This particular agent was going through the security checkpoint with his loaded 9 mm handgun and was stopped by the TSA worker because he also had a collapsible baton. Long story short, the CBP agent boarded the plane with a loaded firearm and no collapsible baton.

The TSA is not and has never been a worthwhile or effective organization and should be disbanded immediately.



* There is no "h" in Bagram, that would give it the soft phlegm sound.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by fatbuckRTO

That said, military members do fly back on chartered commercial flights with weapons in hand. Happens all the time.

I have no problem believing that troops carry weapons on chartered flights, seeing as how the definition of "chartered" means it's a private flight that isn't open to the public. But why do people going on what is essentially a private flight need to bother seeing the TSA, as the original story claims? Why can't they work out a system where the troops go directly to/from the hangar where that plane is going to be?

[fatbuckRTO]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

But why do people going on what is essentially a private flight need to bother seeing the TSA, as the original story claims? Why can't they work out a system where the troops go directly to/from the hangar where that plane is going to be?

The times I've been on chartered aircraft like that they were flying out of military airbases. We didn't deal with TSA in those cases. While the original story by Mad Dog may or may not be true, I could see circumstances under which troops might board such a chartered flight at a civilian airport, in which case they would deal with TSA. It would be much more likely for a National Guard unit to fly that way, in my mind.

As far as why they couldn't work out a system to skip TSA, I couldn't say if anyone has tried. But I could very easily believe that TSA would resist that kind of move for the sole purpose of maintaining its authority and remaining "relevant."

[derf]

Originally Posted by fatbuckRTO

The times I've been on chartered aircraft like that they were flying out of military airbases. We didn't deal with TSA in those cases. While the original story by Mad Dog may or may not be true, I could see circumstances under which troops might board such a chartered flight at a civilian airport, in which case they would deal with TSA. It would be much more likely for a National Guard unit to fly that way, in my mind.

As far as why they couldn't work out a system to skip TSA, I couldn't say if anyone has tried. But I could very easily believe that TSA would resist that kind of move for the sole purpose of maintaining its authority and remaining "relevant."

It depends on which base they flew out of. Many of the larger bases have mil airports attached to the installation, but other smaller bases don't. I can think of a few bases where NG and USAR troops deploy from that don't have an airport and they instead are bussed to the closest large airport and flown from there.

My personal experience coming and going both ways is that I only dealt with TSA because I choose to. We flew out of a military base where we were checked for stuff, mainly alcohol, ammo, drugs and other "prohibited in a combat zone" stuff. At each layover I got off the plane and walked out of the airport to smoke, and walked right back in. Each time I left the airport I had to deal with the TSA when I went back in. Although I dont remember having a ticket and I dont remember it being a problem.

[tallywacker]

For the record I believe this story is bullshit, but I've dealt with far more bullshit than this that didn't make sense in the army.

[Gas Man]

it's complete BS.

However, am I the only one that thought maybe she's worth bangin?

[Archren]

The only time I recall having to deal with TSA on either of my deployments was while on R&R... and on those trips we left our weapons in theater (locked up with the unit armor). On our trips as a whole unit to and from theater... the only places en route where we deplaned were Bangor, ME, Ireland, and Germany, and in all of those instances we were given boarding passes and kept in "secure" areas (I say "secure" because in Maine, the smoking area happened to be outside, and you could walk across the road to the Holiday Inn or whatever hotel it was... but they didn't make us go through security again on the way back in).

All of those three places are regular military stops, though, so I think they 1) know the drill already and 2) are more lenient with military folks anyway.

That being said, however, as others have mentioned, ARNG or Reserve troops such as myself may stop in a civilian airport en route to home base... but typically, we are sent back to whatever base from which we were mobilized - i.e., Fort Hood, Fort Lewis, Fort Bliss, etc. - FIRST, before being demobilized and returned to our homes of record. As soon as you touch ground at the demob platform, you turn in your weapons before you go anywhere else.

So, while this story raises some questions as to its validity, particularly since the author writes it in the sense that this was a routine stop, it could have been that where they landed was not a routine location for military stops. No way of telling for certain at this point.

ETA: Oh yeah, another point: usually when we deplane at civilian airports for a refueling stop... we leave our weapons on the bird with weapon guards. Perhaps another point against the validity of the story? Unless this is just a practice that only certain flight commanders employ?

[derf]

I left the weapons on the plane for my trip there, the way back we left them on the plane in europe, but in the US carried them (the weapon itself could not leave the airport, but you could leave it with someone else and walk out on your own