Posted on 09/29/2007 3:35:59 PM PDT by Bahbah
Spitting on the Marines [Michael Ledeen]
Here is an e-mail from a Marine chaplain recently returned from Iraq. The story speaks for itself—lousy treatment of our troops at our own airports. He writes about Oakland, and while checking around I find that this is a common experience. I hope that one of our leaders will find a way to put an end to such behavior.
Marines and Soldiers Returning from Iraq not allowed
into Oakland terminal
On September 27th 204 Marines and soldiers who were
returning from Iraq were not allowed into the
passenger terminal at Oakland International Airport.
Instead they had to deplane about 400 yards away from
the terminal where the extra baggage trailers were
located.
This was the last scheduled stop for fuel and food
prior to flying to Hawaii where both were based. The
trip started in Kuwait on September 26th with a
rigorous search of checked and carry on baggage by US
Customs. All baggage was x-rayed with a "backscatter"
machine AND each bag was completely emptied and hand
searched. After being searched, checked bags were
marked and immediately placed in a secure container.
Carry on bags were then x rayed again to ensure no
contraband items were taken on the plane. While
waiting for the bus to the airport, all personnel were
in quarantined in a fenced area and were not allowed
to leave.
The first stop for fuel/food and crew change was in
Leipzig Germany. Troops exited the aircraft and took
a bus to a reception area in the terminal, where there
was a convenience store, phones, Internet and
restrooms. As we excited the bus we were given a
re-boarding pass. Three troops remained on the plane
with the rifles and pistols. There was no ammunition
on the plane and the bolts of the rifles had been
removed. After about 2 hours troops re-boarded the
plane and flew to JFK in NY.
At JFK the procedure was similar to Germany, 3 troops
stayed on the plane to guard weapons while the rest
deplaned. At the gate we were each given a
re-boarding pass and spent about 1.5 hours in the
terminal, at which time we re-boarded and flew to
Oakland.
As we came in for the final approach to Oakland a
Lieutenant who served in Afghanistan with the same
unit in 2006 mentioned how when they landed in Oakland
they were not allowed in the terminal. He said, "they
made us get out by the FED EX building and we had to
sit out there for 3 hours". He also indicated he was
almost arrested by the TSA for getting belligerent
about them not letting the Marines into the terminal.
Well the same thing happened again. This time we did
not park by the FED EX building, instead we were
offloaded near the grass that separates the active
runway from the taxi ramp, about 400 yards from the
terminal. When we inquired why they wouldn't allow us
in the airport they gave us some lame excuse that we
hadn't been screened by TSA. While true, the
screening which we did have was much more thorough
than any TSA search and was done by US Customs.
Additionally, JFK didn't seem to have a problem with
our entering their terminal, nor did security in
Germany.
It felt like being spit on. Every Marine and soldier
felt the message loud and clear, "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME
IN OAKLAND!"
Chaplain Brandon Harding
1ST BN 3D MARINES
------------------------------------------
I think you're mistaken. Fleet Week is a big time annual event in SF, and they're advertising for it for this year as well:
http://fleetweek.us/fleetweek
There was a single resolution introduced by a city councilman to require the Blue Angels to fly over water and not over a populated area, but it was voted down.
There's also another side to the Marine recruiting commercial story:
The city says it gave Tight Productions a permit that allowed them to film the Marines on Sept. 9. "We had carte blanche on Sunday, but we didn't have the Marines," Donald Block, the executive producer at Tight, tells USA TODAY.The Marines weren't due until Sept. 11, according to the Silent Drill Platoon's website.
"We were locked into that Tuesday," Block says, adding that he's sure the police could have handled the traffic problems caused by the production crew. But that's only part of the equation. Because the director didn't choose the locations until a few days before they were scheduled to film, Block says the company didn't have time to get the required approvals from local residents who would have been inconvenienced during the filming.
"We didn't leave there feeling the least bit singled out," Block says. His crew shot generic streetscapes on Sunday, and then moved to a federal park where they filmed the men on Tuesday with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/09/city-officials-.html
Your reaction to the soldiers you encountered is very similar in spirit to what recently happened to my daughter and her Army guy.
He did two tours in Iraq and we spent the whole time he was gone praying, praying, praying. He made it through and we feel very blessed. He recently left for Kosovo, but before he left he spent a week with us here in New Orleans. While en route and walking through the airport to make a connecting flight he told us person after person came up to him to shake his hand. As he watched TV and waited for his flight in the airport bar, at 7:30 in the AM, people sent over beers for him. He said he laughed and thanked them, but he just couldn’t drink that early in the morning.
When he arrived here, he and my daughter did the tourist thing and went to the French Quarter,World War II museum etc. My daughter was flabbergasted at the response he received everywhere they went. The World War II veteran at the museum would not allow him, or any of the others with him, to pay. In the Quarter people came up and hugged him(he’s a BIG guy) and thanked him over and over. People in the restaurants payed for his food and drinks. He in turn handed out Iraqi money (he has lots) to well wishers. He even got to speak to and have a picture taken with actor Anthony Anderson, who is making the series K-Ville down here. Anderson too thanked him for his service.
It was a pretty amazing time for him and it restored my faith in my fellow human beings, at least some of them.
predictable
We did coming back from gulf 1 (Desert Storm) TWA contract bird, deplaned at JFK in just the way the author describes, left gear guards on the aircraft to keep an eye on the weapons.
Semper Fi
Don't sweat the small stuff. It's not worth it.
Those Marines could tell you that. When one has been in Iraq for a while, so much of it back home is just small stuff and not worth getting in a dither about.
I'm sure that is true, Allegra. Perspective is important. However, we at home did not pay attention during Viet Nam and let our military be subjected to one indignity after another. I do not believe we will ever allow that to happen again.
Protesting the Vietnam War and celebrating Watergate were far and away the happiest times in their miserable lives, and they're desperate to relive them. No "free love" this time, however. ...or good music.
It's the title of an article for crying out loud.
I'm sure many people would give their eyeteeth to have the luxury to stress out about something so trivial.
LOL, I get it now.
I just didn't understand why the author says "Spitting on the Marines" when that clearly didn't happen. Before you know it "spitting on marines" will mean anything, and I don't want that to happen.
At this point I, for one, am all for sucession due to the liberal babies. We should break away from the pansy winers that don’t like the military, etc. I think we could probably raise at least 38 states that would be glad to form a new union and let the rest deal with the WOT all by themselves. You can bet that they would come crying in a hurry when they start getting blown up at their local theaters, malls, etc.
I know the Marine in question. He is actually a Navy Chaplain. The Navy supplies Chaplains to both the SeaBees and the Marines. He has completed two tours in Iraq, the first was with the SeaBees. He was then stationed in Southern California with the Navy and was transferred to HI last year, where he completed this most recent tour in Iraq with the Marines based out of Kaneohe, Hawaii. He’s an honorable man. I have no doubts about the veracity of his claims. While some have sought to focus on the “spitting” aspect of his e-mail, what really should be focused on is the thoughtless treatment these brave men and women received at the hands of OAK airport officials. The charter flight was operating under “sterile” conditions according to my contacts at TSA and the Marines and soldiers should have been granted the same access to the terminal at OAK that they were given at JFK. The OAK airport official’s statement is nothing but bureaucratic song and dance. They know they were in the wrong, they’ve treated troops returning from theater this way before (during the current conflict) and should immediately ensure they grant US soldiers traveling on charter flights operating under sterile conditions the same treatment the US public receives. OAK is after all a publicly funded airport.
I know what you are saying. Since Friday, Sept. 21, my wife and I have traveled from Raleigh, NC to Tucson, AZ. We have been in RDU, Atlanta, Tucson, Minneapolis-St.Paul and back to RDU airports. Lay overs were long so I got to see a number of troops both male and female in the airports. ALL were treated with the respect, honor and dignity that these heroes deserve at each of these places. People were smiling to them, shaking there hands and just saying thanks for a job well done. It makes my blood boil when I see them treated as nothing more than common criminals by complete idiots who do not deserve any protection from those that wish us nothing but harm. Also, remember that two of these airports are in blue states.
The daughter of my next door neighbors lives in San Diego and I have grown close to her because of helping her parents out with landscaping and things. She's here now because of a family health emergency.
Anyway, for the past year and a half she has kept inviting me to fly out there from here in Michigan to visit but I can't bring myself to contributing to the state after evidencing what has been going on in San Francisco and across the state........
I did tell here tho that if I ever relent and fly out to see here, my main objective is to visit the SD naval base...........
Since 9/11 it is not easy to get on the bases.
San Diego has Camp Pendleton with over 65,000 Marines
We have the Marine Corp Recruit Depot.
also Miramar Marine Air Base, home of the 3rd Air Wing.
The Naval Station in San Diego is home to the majority of the Pacific Fleet. Among the ships are the Nuk Carriers,
Ronand Reagan and the Nimitz.
We have the Amphib Base, Home of the Navy Seals, Sub Base,
North Island Naval Air Station, and many other Naval Bases.
Also Navy Hospital, San Diego, largest Military Hosp.
San Diego County also votes Republican and one of our 5 S.D. congressmen is Duncan Hunter.
FOAD pogue.
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