Shadow
07-07-2012, 08:58 AM
Staff Sgt. Guillermo Tejada lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010. Now rehabilitating in San Diego, Tejada travels regularly to compete in hand-cycling races and marathons.
When flying out of San Diego International Airport, Tejada receives the royal treatment. "They're waiting for us at the curb and take us through the whole process of checking in and going through security," he told msnbc.com.
Getting through airport security can be stressful on anyone. For wounded military service members, it can be a nightmare. The Transportation Security Administration recently expanded a program to make the checkpoint experience for wounded warriors as simple as possible.
“Depending on the airport, the assistance provided can be meeting the passenger curbside when they get to the airport, assisting with checking of bags, getting boarding passes, and assisting through screening,” said TSA spokesperson Nico Melendez.
TSA’s Wounded Warrior Accommodations (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1909.shtm) program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While TSA doesn’t directly provide all the services Melendez listed, it will — if alerted — coordinate a wounded warrior’s airport experience with airport staff, USO volunteers and airlines.
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/06/12603000-tsa-eases-airport-security-routine-for-wounded-warriors?lite
When flying out of San Diego International Airport, Tejada receives the royal treatment. "They're waiting for us at the curb and take us through the whole process of checking in and going through security," he told msnbc.com.
Getting through airport security can be stressful on anyone. For wounded military service members, it can be a nightmare. The Transportation Security Administration recently expanded a program to make the checkpoint experience for wounded warriors as simple as possible.
“Depending on the airport, the assistance provided can be meeting the passenger curbside when they get to the airport, assisting with checking of bags, getting boarding passes, and assisting through screening,” said TSA spokesperson Nico Melendez.
TSA’s Wounded Warrior Accommodations (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1909.shtm) program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While TSA doesn’t directly provide all the services Melendez listed, it will — if alerted — coordinate a wounded warrior’s airport experience with airport staff, USO volunteers and airlines.
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/06/12603000-tsa-eases-airport-security-routine-for-wounded-warriors?lite