TSA Detains Marine Escorts

Trio escorting body of fallen comrade are stripped of dress blue coats, searched at airport By Gidget FuentesTimes staff writer It wasn't the city of "brotherly love" for a trio of Marine noncommissioned officers escorting the body of a fallen Marine through the Philadelphia airport. Each decked in their blue dress uniforms, the three enlisted Marines made their way through a security checkpoint at the Philadelphia International Airport about noon on May 3 when they were pulled aside by security workers with the federal Transportation Safety Administration. The Marines - a sergeant and two corporals - were escorting the body of Sgt. Lea R. Mills from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to his family in Gulfport, Miss. Mills, who was married and lived in Oceanside with his wife, was killed in Iraq on April 28 by a roadside bomb. He was one of three leathernecks killed that day in Iraq's Anbar province They were brothers-in-arms. Like Mills, the Marine escorts are members of the Camp Pendleton-based 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion. The trio had to go through the terminal's security in order to reach their flight that would take them to Houston and make sure that Mills' body was properly placed on the airplane. While their uniforms likely would trigger the metal detector, they had figured they would be able to zip through the screening process and get on with their business. "Wearing the blues, the metal detector is going to go off," said Sgt. John Stock, a mechanic, who was accompanied by Cpls. Aaron Bigalk and Jason Schadeburg. Click the title to read more of the article. As I read the article, I am disgusted that these Marine's were treated with total disrespect. You can't tell me TSA knew nothing in advance that a fallen Marine was being accompanied home and could have supplied airline personnel to escort the three Marines to a private area and screened them more discretely and diplomatically. I realize in today's world that there is the necessity to check everyone carefully when you are boarding a plane and I am all for it. I would not be in favor of allowing anyone to just walk right through. However, this is complete bullshit and pisses me off. They deserved derserved more respect then what they received. I hope TSA realizes the mistake they made and rectify the situation so it never happens again. I will like a postive side to this, these Marines carried them selves with integrity, honor, restraint and compliance. This spoke volumes about them individually and the Marine Corp as a whole. Godspeed Sgt. Lea R. Mills. May your family have the strength to get through this difficult time. dyzgoneby