An unacceptable mistake

[AKIron]

I think a whole lot of people need to be fired. There is absolutely no excuse for this.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299152,00.html

Only in Kalifornia. We don't treat heroes like that in Texas.

"The incident at the Oakland airport reminded me of a scene I witnessed while at the Dallas airport earlier this year. As I walked down the terminal, I noticed that a big crowd of travelers and airport workers had gathered. Businessmen broke from their phone conversations, parents and children paid attention, TSA screeners stopped what they were doing, and flight attendants paused. A gate attendant just announced that a large group of U.S. soldiers — fresh from Iraq — was just about to walk off the plane.

More than 100 travelers and employees waited in silence. The gateway door opened and one by one young men and women, each with a tanned face and wearing their uniform, stepped onto U.S. soil. The crowd applauded, cheered loudly and yelled, “Welcome home!” I stood among a group of strangers. Each of us said “Thank you” to the men and women who walked off that plane. Some bystanders cried, and many of the soldiers seemed touched — some fought back tears, others remained stoic.

I was proud to be an American and equally proud by the way that our men and women who serve our country were treated — with the gratitude and respect they deserve. If only those in the Bay Area felt the same way."

[JB73]

I have been afraid of morons starting to act like this for a while... it's sad to hear I was right


I really hope those brave and honorable soldiers don't think the majority of the United States does not feel or act that way.

[Viking]

Inexcusable.

[SteveBailey]

San Fran  Sicko

[Maverick]

The airport "authorities" need to spend a year in iraq, then find another job. It's not only inexcusable, it's disgusting.

[Masherbrum]

Is the Bay Area Airport in SAn Fran, or San Jose?   Just curious, because I have a buddy in Tracy, Ca.   He always flies in/out of San Jose.   I'll never go to this Gay Area Port".  

I'm not a Vet and this makes me sick to my stomach.    Whoever "sent the directive to do this", should have his butt kicked.   When he gets up it should be kicked again.

[68Wooley]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
Is the Bay Area Airport in SAn Fran, or San Jose?   Just curious, because I have a buddy in Tracy, Ca.   He always flies in/out of San Jose.  
 

San Jose Airport is in San Jose.
San Francisco airport is just south of San Francisco.
Oakland airport is in, err, Oakland.

All three serve the Bay Area.

EDIT :- given this story, maybe 'serve' is not the right word.

[Dichotomy]

Originally posted by AKIron
I think a whole lot of people need to be fired. There is absolutely no excuse for this.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299152,00.html

Only in Kalifornia. We don't treat heroes like that in Texas.

"The incident at the Oakland airport reminded me of a scene I witnessed while at the Dallas airport earlier this year. As I walked down the terminal, I noticed that a big crowd of travelers and airport workers had gathered. Businessmen broke from their phone conversations, parents and children paid attention, TSA screeners stopped what they were doing, and flight attendants paused. A gate attendant just announced that a large group of U.S. soldiers — fresh from Iraq — was just about to walk off the plane.

More than 100 travelers and employees waited in silence. The gateway door opened and one by one young men and women, each with a tanned face and wearing their uniform, stepped onto U.S. soil. The crowd applauded, cheered loudly and yelled, “Welcome home!” I stood among a group of strangers. Each of us said “Thank you” to the men and women who walked off that plane. Some bystanders cried, and many of the soldiers seemed touched — some fought back tears, others remained stoic.

I was proud to be an American and equally proud by the way that our men and women who serve our country were treated — with the gratitude and respect they deserve. If only those in the Bay Area felt the same way."

I have been severely disgusted many times in my life.  This ranks in the top 10.  My 'little' brother (in law) comes home from his second tour in two weeks.  

To the people who pay them homage and honor when they step off of that plane I you.  

To the official who caused this reprehensible treatment of the men and women who chose to put their lives on the line and represent our country and our way of life, our very freedoms to protest what they have to do, our rights to speak out against and in support of it, I can only say.  I hope there is a special place in hell for people like you.

God bless the American soldiers, sailors, airmen, coasties, and marines, that do a job that most of the country doesn't have the spine to do.

AK... I wish I had been there.  I can promise you I wouldn't have had dry eyes

[Hornet33]

That attitude has been around out there forever. Back in 2005 I was flying out of San Fran Itnl coming back to Virginia Beach from a work trip out in Alameda. I was on the tram heading over to the terminal and there was an Army Sgt sitting next to me that had just got back from Iraq. I was talking to him and when I got up to get off the tram I thanked him for his service and told him to take care. When I turned around there were a couple of obvious locals staring at me with this pissed off look on their face. I overheard one of them say "I can't believe that guy thanked a baby killer for his service." I literally was ready to pound the guy into the ground right there. If he would have turned around and said one word to me I would have gone to jail that day.

[SteffK]

At least your population have some reaction, either good or bad, to these brave ladies and gents.

Here in the UK there is little more than apathy to our folks coming home - they way they are treated by the Gov is disgusting, JP (Jo Public) has no or little interest to these people laying their lives on the line for everyone.

Just my two penneth worth.

[wulfie-away]

The airport guys were bound by federal law in this case. They Marines weren't screened when they got on the aircraft, they couldn't enter the airport when they landed because of this.

It may seem like a common sense issue, but be aware that if the mid-level DHS guy had broken regs, you know some power-mad manager moron would have taken plenty of joy in writing him up.

This has been blown way...way out of proportion.

I know Marines in a reserve unit in Alameda. When they go to Hawaii, they fly out of Oakland and they get warm receptions from the people in the terminal - both when they leave and return.

As for San Francisco, it's a vocal minority that gives it a bad image re: the military. The actual people of the city take care of military guys just fine. The last 2 times I was there in the past 4 years, when doormen, bartenders, etc. realized we were military we didn't pay a cover to get in anywhere, and there was always at least 1 free drink for us from the bars.

As for the 'Kalifornia' comment...true in Berkley, and maybe some parts of LA. From the middle of the state East to the Sierras there are plenty of patriotic and appreciative people - as there are on the coast outside of the aforementioned areas. There's a lot of guys on AD from California, and they didn't volunteer in a vacum, i.e. they were raised in communities that respect the military.

-Mike/wulfie

[MiloMorai]

Originally posted by wulfie-away
The airport guys were bound by federal law in this case. They Marines weren't screened when they got on the aircraft, they couldn't enter the airport when they landed because of this.

Lifted this from another board.

And doesnt the military check the bags of personell returning from a war zone (or elsewhere) pretty thoroughly before they let them onto civilian transport anyway?

Yes they do, Customs goes through your bags before you even get to the main holding area to wait for the plane. BUT you still have to fill out Custom Forms and declare stuff.

And if Customs wants to I am sure they can go back through the bags. BUT seeing how Dallas and Atlanta are the main transit ports for returning troops coming back to the states and they fly to their next point of travel, I guess they wouldn't need to deal with customs again since they have already been cleared and are now back in the states.

[AquaShrimp]

It was probably just a big communication error.  A big cargo plane lands, its sent to the cargo area.  Maybe the cargo area is on the other side of the airport from the terminal, no safe way to get between them.

Theres a big myth that hippies used to spit on soldiers in airport terminals as they arrived back from Vietnam.  There is not a single documented case of this.  

Soldiers are tough.  Even though they weren't treated like civilians in this situation, I bet they were just happy to be back in the 'land of the big px'.

[lazs2]

well said wulfie.

I really think that kalifornia needs to be split in half east to west..  the line could be right about fairfield.   maybe a little higher.

lazs

[GtoRA2]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
Is the Bay Area Airport in SAn Fran, or San Jose?   Just curious, because I have a buddy in Tracy, Ca.   He always flies in/out of San Jose.   I'll never go to this Gay Area Port".  

I'm not a Vet and this makes me sick to my stomach.    Whoever "sent the directive to do this", should have his butt kicked.   When he gets up it should be kicked again.

I agree this is stupid, and wrong and those Marines and any of our service men deserve much better,  but I doubt it has much to do with local politics, as digusting as they are. Wulfie-Away is right I am sure.

In the bay area, (look at SF bay on a map it's HUGE) we have about 10 cities all on the bay and three major airports.  San Jose is the south bay.
San Francisco is actualy  not in San francisco, its about 10 miles south. Then you have Oakland, in well Oakland, accross the bay from the SF airport.

San Jose is the only one that doesn't suck ass, but oakland is the worst, both in how easy it is to get to, and how the airport is setup.

The whole bay area is pretty liberal but some areas are much worse then others, San francisco and Marin county take liberalism to a whole new level and if you want to see exactly what uncheckec liberal BS policies will do to this nation, just look at SF, its a **** hole.