TSA offers faster airport screening for wounded soldiers

Wounded soldiers and veterans can now go through airport screening gates without removing their shoes, hats or light jackets, the Transportation Security Administration announced.

The TSA’s decision to ease screening for wounded soldiers comes about two weeks after the agency came under harsh criticism over the way it screened a wheelchair-bound U.S. Marine at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

In the March 13 incident, critics of the TSA say that screeners humiliated the Marine by forcing him to remove his prosthetic legs and then put them back on to walk through a full-body scanner.

After investigating the incident, the TSA said the Marine was not asked to remove his prosthetic legs and that the screening took a total of eight minutes. The Marine, Cpl. Toran Gaal, has not filed a complaint or claim against the agency, the TSA said.

Gaal could not be reached for comment. After the incident, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) wrote to TSA Administrator John Pistole requesting an explanation.

TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said the new procedure has been in development for a while and was not created in response to the Phoenix incident.

In the past, wounded soldiers were allowed to move to the front of the screening line but were still required to undergo the same screening process used on other travelers.

Under the new procedure, wounded soldiers and veterans who contact the TSA (by email at msijsoc@dhs.gov or phone at 1-888-262-2396) before arriving at an airport will be escorted from the curb to the screening gates. The TSA will confirm the identify of the travelers using a U.S. Department of Defense database.

The soldiers won’t be required to remove their shoes, hats or light jackets during screening. TSA agents will then escort the soldiers to their departure gates.

The TSA pointed out that more than 10,000 veterans work for the agency and that the two agents who screened the Marine in Phoenix were veterans.

hugo.martin@latimes.com