The TSA strikes again. Another wounded veteran was forced to undergo a strict search by the Transportation Security Administration while at a Washington airport.
Marty Gonzalez has three purple hearts and two brionze stars for his service in Iraw as a Marine. He has been featured in military documentaries. Now he's facing a battle at home.
Gonzalez and his wife were going through TSA security at s Seattle airport as they were getting ready to board a return flight home. However Gonzalez, who is wheelchair bound, was told that he would have to undergo a special search because a machine picked up explosive evidence on his hands and wheelchair, Click2Houston.com reports.
"They took me into a private room and had to do a private search and recheck my bag that already went through an X-ray screening" said Gonzalez.
A TSA explained to him that the positive reading may have been caused by fertilizer or even hand lotion, but he still had to undergo the additional search.
"His chair wheels through everything," said Gonzalez's wife. "His hands touch his wheels. The likelihood of him testing positive every time is really high."
Gonzales says he doesn't mind the additional search but he wishes he had called the TSA's special 1-800 number available for veterans to call for assistance before they arrive. He didn't call because he didn't think the TSA would bother him.
"I can get mad all I want, it's not really going to accomplish anything. I'd rather that than someone blow up another plane honestly" said Gonzalez.
He hopes that he and other veterans can avoid going through the same ordeal the next time they go through the airport.
Earlier this week, another wounded Marine was subjected to an embarrassing search.
Retired Marine Cpl. Nathan Kemnitz was going through security at Sacramento International Airport in full uniform, when a TSA security screener pulled him aside for a special pat down. Kemnitz was severely injured in 2004 in a roadside bomb attack in Fallujah. He now has limited use of his right arm and cannot lift it above his head. The TSA agent made him go through an embarrassing pat down after Kemnitz said that he wouldn't be able to raise his arms above his head for the full-body scan.
If you're a disabled veteran, you can call 1-855-787-2227 before arriving at the airport to get extra help.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
