California Gangin' On Marines...

Posted By The Wolf

When.
Will.
It.
Stop.???????

UPDATE:  Apparently NOW.  Via MM site who has updates from various sites, comes the news that OAK apologizes!

“There was no disrespect that was intended,” said Omar Benjamin, executive director of the Port of Oakland, which runs the airport. “There was confusion. There were mistakes that were made.”

Read the rest- the funny part is, the TSA vehemently denies they had any involvement in preventing the troops from going into the terminal.

Looks like OAK has been PWN'd...
Follow the links HERE AS WELL.

UPDATE:  Apparently this has received some real attention- per MM, there has been an investigation requested.. look HERE

Recent postings to some blogs HERE and HERE have another bad episode for Marines in California.  Seems that some that were in transit to Hawaii were NOT welcome in Oakland...

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.

More after the jump....

When will SOMEONE put the brakes on California?  Are there ANY gonads left in that state?  Anyone with any sense of patriotism and the 'Right Stuff'?

I own an airline- I understand what restrictions, regulations, and procedures are necessary for security.  NOTHING that went on here was insurmountable at the airport to deny these gentlemen (and ladies, I assume) access to the terminal. 

Yes, the charter company could have helped here a LOT.  But, as they indicate at JFK airport, Oakland certainly could have made some gestures.

Of course, they did not.  Only excuses.  As usual.

US Military personnel and airports do not good relations make- one episode that STILL bothers me is at the Dallas airport, where TSA was stripping an entire planeload of soldiers on RnR leave to their pants and socks in order to go thru security to get to the USO while we waited.  240 troops, in line at the security, 15 steps from the USO, debased.  People in line (civilians) also told TSA to hand them weapons and let them on THEIR flights- they'd feel safer! 

Stripping soldiers IN UNIFORM at these checkpoints was disgusting to watch.  I'll admit, even the TSA manager whom I spoke with was not comfortable with it, but that was his job, he said.

Now, throw in California politics... 

It must be the weather out there...

-Wolf

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Comments

[Allan]

It is not clear whether the issue was with: the City of Oakland (or whatever entity runs the airport) or the TSA.

In either case, the military can take some steps. Why does it have to land in Oakland? San Francisco's airport is 20 miles from there, San Jose's is 40, and Sacramento's is 60. In addition, Moffett Field (owned by NASA) is about 30.

Or, if it wants to forego California altogether, Reno is about 120 miles away and then there is Los Angeles. Portland and Seattle are too far away.

Bottom line: if Oakland (which was the major point of debarcation during the Vietnam War (at the defunct Oakland Army Base)) says no, there are plenty of options.

[mindy1]

This is truly disgusting. How can stashing away marines make anyone feel safer? I would much rather have them near me than some other people i've encountered. And stripping soldiers down to their skivvies?! what is wrong with people!

[jordan]

Sounds like San Francisco isn't the only California locale that disrespects the military. What happened to the real-guy, tough-customer Governator Arnold? What's he doing about this? He and California are slowly getting a "reputation".

Maybe there are other plausible explanations for each of these events, but you don't hear of this stuff happening in Iowa and Missouri.

California's awfully confident that the military is nothing but an unnecessary nuisance. It's population can only hope there will never be an event requiring military action in the state, whether it's earthquake, invasion, aggressive border incursions, etc...

What happens with the California National Guard? How do they feel about this treatment? Are they allowed to train and operate out in the open, in public, in (gulp) uniform?

[Teresa]

I'm with Allan - the military needs to stop giving its business to Oakland or any other airport that will not support the troops.

That the TSA seems to be under orders to strip search our troops returning from a war zone - is completely incomprehensible to me. Who gave these orders and why? Who do we call to account for this? Is this another instance of a government entity running amok with nothing to stop it?

I find the whole thing outrageous. I think there needs to be lots of noise about this. Our troops have faced enough bad things in the war zone - they don't need this kind of crap when they get home!

[jpr]

It's a TSA issue. Call Administrator Kip Hawley--

Doin' a heckuva job Kippy!

[R]

This has nothing to do with California. The problem is that this is a civilian airport that has to follow federal aviation law. Passengers on this flight were not screened by TSA--hence they can't be given access to the normal civilian flight areas.

The problem here lies with DoD and the federal aviation laws. They need to use proper military airports or change the law.

To blame Oakland or California is just idiotic.

[Deltabravo]

They were talking about this over at Commander Salamander's blog. One poster enumerated some of the TSA issues in this situation that indicate why the troops were sidelined at a different runway.

But that doesn't explain why 6 years into this whole GWOT there haven't been measures implemented to handles such contingencies at our civilian airports. Our troops DO deserve better!

[chiropetra]

I think they ALL need some wall-to-wall counseling.
The TSA for this idiotic application of its rules, the DOD for not ironing it out with the TSA and Oakland airport for treating the Marines like cattle.

Okay, maybe the TSA wouldn't allow those unsearched by TSA to mix with the white folks. But that's no excuse for the level of "accommodation" the bureaucrats running the Oakland airport provided.

Flame 'em all, sez I. And keep flaming them until conditions improve for our military at American airports.

Kick 'em and kick 'em and keep kicking 'em.

[Heartless Libertarian]

Travis AFB is in Vacaville, 56 miles away. And as someone else pointed out, Moffett Field/Ames Research Center is across the Bay. Neither does commercial aviation. Not sure if McClellan Field or the former Mather Field in Sacto would be available

The times I've gone from Ft Lewis to NTC, we flew chartered planes from McChord AFB to a decommissioned AFB outside Victorville. No TSA, which is good, since we all had fully automatic weapons. No ammo, though.

[referman]

If the TSA is so damn hardcore about it,put an agent in the port where these soldiers left.The hole point is to stop things and undesireables from getting on da plane its a little to late to worry about it if their already here.Put some of these over paid TSA agents in the war zone(saddam int)or Afghanistan and quit f%$#ing with these guys after they land on American soil..How long does it take to get qualified for a TSA asshat,hmmm first ya got to be slightly over weight,walk with a limp,and be allergic to sweat.While the TSA agents had em in their undees the marines should of bent over and dropped em,while pulling their ass cheeks apart.Just in case they were trying to smuggle in a dirty bomb..

[Mr Chips]

I, like many who read/post here, have gone through the gentle ministrations of the MP customs inspectors before we got onto troop flights back to CONUS. For those who have not, believe me, these inspections are more thorough than the TSA's. There is no reason that the TSA cannot accept these procedures as sufficient to clear troops to enter a passenger area. As I have before, if the TSA head in Oakland cannot see this, he is incompetent.
If the problem is weapons, the ranking officer on the plane can certify that no troops are carrying weaponry into the terminal.

[Caleb]

Please excuse a total cynic. This is one more example of the Bush administration not being competent to govern, or not having the gonads to govern. Virtually the whole Homeland Security Dept. is a disaster. So far then have managed to build less than 20 miles of border fence in two years. So far they can not seem to hire, train, and deploy the number of new Border Patrol officers authorized to them. They have been able to, working with the justice dept., convict and incarcerate several Border Patrol agents and local sheriff's deputies for being mean to ILLEGAL aliens. The stories of the complete stupidity of TSA are legion. To write a book detailing them it would have to be a multi-volume work. Common sense, in any form, is completely banned from their work areas. It would take one short instruction written on White House letter head to correct the problem, and if that didn't correct it, a job relocation and reassignment of the supervisors and managers involved would complete the correction.

As for California, the central and northern parts of the state are a complete loss. I really doubt if they can be saved. I would give the area around San Diego, with all its military facilities, a status similiar to Gitmo and cede the rest of California back to Mexico. Hell, Arnold say that he loves Mexico and Mexicans. Look at all the tax money that could be saved by not having to sent it to the California Socialists.

[mild bill]

Returning from Vietnam '67.....we Marines flew into El Toro from Danang to Okinawa.......our troops don't deserve the mismanagement from these Airport/TSA bureaucratic scofflaws. Homeland Security personnel need to hang their heads in shame.....what a pathetic bunch of paralysis analysts...if we depended on these type of OAK airport "Peter Principal personnel" to win our "Long War"........we'd still be in Kuwait gazing at our navels.........pathetic, sick and yet, very true......get a clue Arnie.......you may be the "Governator"........but your Patriotism is overruled by a mid-manager with Move-on.org flowing in their veins............find 'em and fire 'em.........IMHO...........
/Mild Bill.

[Soldier's Dad]

"If the TSA is so damn hardcore about it,put an agent in the port where these soldiers left."

Any aircraft charter with a Gross Weight above 91,000 pounds is required by law to screen passengers with TSA trained screeners. The people doing the screening in Kuwait might not be TSA employees...but they are TSA trained. Having said that most airports would require a rescreeing to enter the 'sterile' part of the airport.

Tiny little Bangor Airport...which recieves more than a fair share of contract military flights...manages to work out making sure the returning soldiers have access to everything they need....phones and food....but then there are Patriotic Americans in Bangor.

As far as the idea of transiting military airfields...military airfields don't necessarily have the equipment to service commercial aircraft in a timely fashion.

[Old Tanker]

When we flew back after Desert Storm we flew into JFK. We were treated very well with one exception. As we de-boarded the plane every duty free liquor store and bar closed....the people closing them didn't know why, they were just told to. My guess is our chain of Command asked for it...a 747 full of soldiers that hadn't had a beer in 9 months, probably a good idea on the part of our command!!

[JihadGene]

From Caleb- "As for California, the central and northern parts of the state are a complete loss. I really doubt if they can be saved".

I'm calling BRAVO SIERRA on CALEB! Northern and Central California are hugely CONSERVATIVE.
*Note that Caleb makes no mention of the L.A. or Bay Areas (Oakland/SF/Beserkley/).
Go crawl back under Nancy Pelosi's skirt Caleb. You're full of shit.

[Cannoneer No4]

The senior officer on the aircraft rarely feels empowered to tell the TSA to kiss his ass, his pax are going in to the main terminal. DoD screens the hell out of pax, but TSA rarely takes anybody's word for that. TSA ought to send somebody to Ali Al Salem and watch Navy Customs.

I think TSA singles out troop movements for special attention because they can. Makes their stats look better, and troops don't sue.

[Acumensch]

Gonads? Right stuff? Oh please. Quit your bitching you idiot. Only 40 percent of you imbeciles in the marines said in a Pentagon study that you would report a fellow soldier who killed or injured an innocent Iraqi. Quit begging us to "support the troops" when you're creating more terrorists!!!

Since on the West Coast we make quite a bit of money, maybe we should just secede from the union and let you poor idiots get all the credit for destroying foreign countries. This is the highest-rated military blog at the moment. Go figure.

[Deltabravo]

Oh, my. Someone has discovered this place and come to pick a fight.

Personally, I'd love if you folks on the left coast would secede. You'd quickly find out how much you really do feed at the taxpayer trough. You make quite a bit of money? Only because you're connected to all of us. Try defending yourself. The next time an earthquake rattles you about, handle it yourself. I live in a state where many of your disaffected workers have come to settle because mortals cannot afford to live and do business in your little nirvana.

It's easy to call these good men names in a message board, isn't it? I've never seen your kind do it to their faces. Gonads, anyone?

[JihadGene]

***OHFISHWALL DPRK MEMLOW***

FRUM- Great Reader, KIM Jong Il

TO- A.C.L.U.mensch

MESSAGIE- Me very busy man now, kickin it wiff gullible dumb-ass Souf Korean Plesident, ROH Yur Boat, but I'm takie time out to thank you (ACLUmensch) floor your support/treasonous rants and all around USMC hating drivel! We in the DPRK, hold yoo up as a POS in hi standing, for the people's of the Kawifornia Demokrap Party & the Glorious DPRK! Hope your studies at UC Berkeley is going glood, sure sounds rike it. Sounds rike yur Daddy make rots of money, yoo lucky boy...
Now fluck off!

Ruv yoo looong time!
Great Reader
KIM Jong Il

[Devil Dog Dad]

Rrell said JihadGene. Ruv Yoo.

I see where someone from the airport has finally stepped forward and taken responsibility for something that should have never taken place. Its like wack a mole, these commie leftists keep popping up here or over there. One day it is Frisco telling the Navy to take a hike, now the Marines. Quite a proud tradition they have established since the 60's.

[jordan]

Acumensch, the military doesn't run around on it's own, doing whatever it wants, making new terrorists. If you don't like where they are or what they're doing, complain to your Congressman, or the President.

Love your secession idea. I'll even help with the paperwork. Can't promise that Mexico won't eventually take you over, though. They have a military, and this future independant country of California won't.

Oh, and it's standard usage to capitalize the M in Marine. Semper Fi.

[Synova]

At least part of the problem is that it's different people with the problem each time as they fly through the airport. So everyone gets pissed but no one fixes it.

Some of the crap at basic training was for the same reason. (Not the training... some of the outprocessing nearly abusive idiocy when I went through but... it was only once and never look back. Who's going to even complain about the problem much less fix it?) It's endemic, I think is the word, to the transitory nature of just who it is has to suffer through it.

Unless the problem has been brought to the attention of the Oakland Airport officials and TSA (and now it *has*) they can't really be expected to even notice that something is wrong.

It would be nice if they were pro-active and *did*, but it can't really be expected.

[Azygos]

If I had been there I would have felt far safer if the Marines were let into the terminal (with their weapons loaded). Of course moonbat parts would have been everywhere from them self imploding.

[redc1c4]

as a native of the PRC, i'm wondering just how Acumenso thinks s/he/it's going to secede, when most of the guns and all of the cajones in this state are owned by the people he dislikes...... the big cities are blue, but the rest of the state is more conservative, hence the whining from the far left over the proposal to change our winner take all Presidential election and apportion our Electorial votes according to total votes.

in short, the US is stuck with the PRC for the time being, and certain folxs should shut their cake holes, or be prepared to have them shut for them, should they ever try to do more than talk smack. %-)

redc1c4,
CA ARNG 83-03
11B/19D

[Blogengeezer]

The PRC should not 'jack' with these young troops. This is the most intelligent, educated military in the history of the world. These are the next generation of 'Congress' and 'US Government' at every level. Welcome back Troops. We need you, Take your rightful command of this 1960's vintage, disfunctional society. Bring 'em to order, they sorely need it. daflikkers.blogspot 'URL' it.

[Deltabravo]

"These are the next generation of 'Congress' and 'US Government' at every level."

Damn. Those are the most hopeful words I've read in YEARS! Thanks!!!

[Soldier's Dad]

Acumensch

"Since on the West Coast we make quite a bit of money, maybe we should just secede from the union"

Please do...take Seattle with you as well. I won't cry about having to subsidized the leftards in Seattle for one moment.

[Sly2017]

"Oh, my. Someone has discovered this place and come to pick a fight."

Good. Then we didn't get dressed up for nothing.

Acumensch and his ilk won't have time to worry about the Mexican military. They will be too busy hiding from all the gangs who will make LaLaWood and San Fransissy, et al. strongly resemble Somalia once the military and public service forces leave the new Pipple's RepuBlik of Coliformia.

[defendusa]

WOW! Wasn't that an intelligent rant by the mensch? Yeah, why doesn't the leftstate secede? That would be good on us. See how many people who calim life is so wunderbar there would leave before it could happen, to keep the freedoms they take for granted. Uh-huh. And, just wait until the official language becomes spanish, bwahahaha! I can only hope.