Guardsmen to Be Posted at Airports by Oct. 19

SACRAMENTO —  California National Guard troops armed with M-16 assault rifles will be stationed at Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports by Friday, and as many as 1,000 state troops will be at all of the state’s 31 commercial airports by mid-October, Gov. Gray Davis said Tuesday.

Davis announced the steps after a Southwest Airlines flight at Sacramento International Airport. The governor said he has scrapped plans by his security detail to lease a private jet for state travel.

“Flying has never been safer since Sept. 11,” Davis said. “We’ve taken every precaution we can to assure the traveling public they are as safe as they’ve ever been.”

Standing in front of 16 National Guard troops, the governor urged Californians, “Take a trip. Spend some money. Enjoy yourself.”

Davis called out the National Guard in response to a request from President Bush to all governors. Davis estimates that 600 to 1,000 troops will be called on to work at California’s airports, with roughly 100 at LAX and 75 to 80 at San Francisco. The citizen soldiers will be at Sacramento and Oakland international airports by Oct. 12 and at all airports by Oct. 19, following their 16 hours of special training.

At John Wayne Airport, spokeswoman Yolanda Perez said officials have been briefed on the mobilization but have not been told yet about plans for John Wayne. “We don’t know anything,” she said late Tuesday. Jerry Snyder, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles, said the training will be mostly classroom work. Once in place, the guardsmen will get an additional 40 hours of on-the-job training, he said.

The guardsmen will remain on duty for four to six months, giving the federal government time to bolster regular airport security. Davis said he believes the soldiers will give passengers a heightened sense of security.