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Another TSA story.

From a comment to the TSA post below. I just thought it should see the light of day.

The TSA really amazes me, they go out of their way to avoid charges of profiling and go overboard on other people. Travelling home on mid tour leave I had my body armor and helmet with me as carry on luggage. At that point I had been in combat for eight months, with all that implies. I had been in firefights, I had used C-4, hand grenades, AT4s, and since this was 2003 (before EOD was a handy phone call away) had had to dismantle the occasional IED. You could imagine my shock and surprise when my gear popped hot for a wide range of explosive chemicals when it was scanned. I can understand this causing questions, but the Uniform, ID card, leave form, fact that I am pretty sure most of the public was aware that a war was in progress and the obvious lack of any amount of actual explosives should have made it easy... But no, two hours of explaining myself and a missed flight later I was finally allowed through security...

Like I said - some judgement *is* required...

3 Comments

That is the same mentality that roasted the CMOH awardee trying to board an aircraft at PHX. As I recall they were concerned the medal could be used as a weapon. The bright side of this story though is at least they didn't have to do a full cavity search to insure that the C4 residue was not a result of you concealing it in your body somewhere. TSA stands for "Terminally Stupid Activity" anyhow.
 
Aw, come on...it could have been a clever disguise!
 
John, Judgement implies the presence of sentient thought... Your grumpy partner
 
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