What a city, Oakland, and its local airport authorities.
They’re worried more about troops in transit having weapons than all the gang members and thugs on the streets of Oakland itself.
It’s all just a communications gaff, I’m sure. yeah right.
ping
No, Michelle, you contacted a Navy Chaplain who serves with a Marine Corps unit. The Marine Corps has no chaplain corps.
"person"
Politically Correct horsepuckly!
Love the pictures of Michelle who is #1 on my list of favorite people!
ping
If it was a lack of communication, how did the same thing happen in the same place to the LT. in 2006?
ping
When I came back from Korea in ‘79 I was asked, as I boarded the plane, if I had any weapons to declare. I handed a copy of my orders and my 45 along with a 100 rounds of ammo to the flight steward. After I was seated he placed them in an unlocked drawer in his stand, which happened to be right next to my seat. When we landed he handed them back to me. I then went through customs, at Travis, which consisted of a show and tell, upon which I went on my way.
“When I was returning from the first Gulf War, we went through the quarantine process prior to boarding the plane to leave Saudi Arabia. After our baggage and bodies were searched we went into the quarantine holding area from which we could not leave, ensuring that no contraband would enter the US. Our first stop was Rome, and we stayed on the plane. We landed at JFK and went into the terminal for a couple of hours. A security detail stayed on board the aircraft. We then re-boarded and returned to Ft. Hood, TX.
Troops returning from overseas have to pass through customs. In the case of troop transports, this is actually done overseas, hence the quarantine area. The only processing we went through in the US was turning in weapons & other sensitive items when we returned to Ft Hood. Remember, troops do not carry passports in combat zones. I assume that the military follows the same procedures that they did in the 90’s vis troops returning from overseas deployments and they should be able to disembark during layovers in the US. I can tell you from personal experience, troops just want to get a quick stretch, a chance to clean up before returning home and maybe a cool drink: I hope the Oakland airport can accommodate these simple needs.”
This was my experience in ‘91, as well, except that we were not allowed to deplane at JFK.
If the customs screening process is anything like it was in ‘91, these guys had already been through quite a bit. I remember waiting on the ramp for hours in the sun at the airfield both before and after screening. We had arrived at the airfield at 0900, and finally boarded the aircraft at 1800 or so.
Yeah, we griped a little, but we expected to be treated that way over there. To come home and be treated the way these Marines were, in their home country, is disgraceful.
I wish the U.S. Government would close all military bases in the People’s Republic of California. (So do most Californians, I think.)
“What happened to our troops in Oakland (Port /Airport has history
of treating them badly)”
US Military personnel being badly treated in The Gay, er, Bay Area?
Imagine that!
(/SARC!!!!)
Actually, the idea of folks in Oakland being rude to US Military
does have me bummed.
I figured those sort of JERKS were in the Ghetto of San Francisco.
Which can easily be “bricked in” to the south and cut off from resupply
by closing a couple of bridges for a couple of months.
And suspending flights in/out of SFO.
Something I suspect that sophisticated pansies of San Francisco
won’t be able to effectively counter.
She’s adorable! I like her “I will not submit” t-shirt, (but would of course love to challenge it in another context [smile]).
He is due back from Iraq soon.
I’ll be sure to make a point of asking him EXACTLY how he is treated on his trip back to Kaneohe, Hawaii.
I know there are a lot of good people in Kalifornia, but there are many more who are complete garbage. I really wish we could float the entire state out to sea. And, don’t give me crap about how it’s the 5th largest economy in the world. I’d rather be poor...