JWA under guard

Paul Clinton

Travelers boarding planes at John Wayne Airport passed under a more

watchful eye Friday, as members of the California Army and Air National

Guards oversaw security checkpoints.

The guards, dressed in full fatigues and armed with pistols and M-16s,

monitored the screening process at the X-ray machines as they patrolled

the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

They are there to send a clear message to travelers, Staff Sgt. Genaro

Franco said.

“It is sending a message to the public that the airport is safe,”

Franco said.

Air travel at John Wayne Airport has not returned to the levels it

knew before the attacks of Sept. 11.

The number of passengers using the airport dropped 33.2% in the month

of September, as compared with the same period last year, according to an

airport report.

Commercial flights were down 15.3%, and total operations, which

includes all takeoffs and departures, slipped 27.6% during September.

The numbers bear testament to the fact that fewer people have returned

to air travel since the terrorist attacks.

Passengers noticed the heightened security level at the airport, but

weren’t all reassured by it.

Lory Harman, who was heading back to Salt Lake City after a trip to

Orange County for business, wasn’t comforted.

“It’s a dichotomy,” Harman said. “On the one hand, it gives you a

sense of security, but on the other hand it makes you uneasy it needs to

be there.”

The guards are members of the 222nd Combat Communications Squad, based

in Costa Mesa. Guard members did not reveal how many of their 110 members

were stationed at the airport.

Last week, guard members received training from the Federal Aviation

Administration before they could start work at John Wayne Airport.

Franco said he could not discuss the guard’s training or what specific

duties members would perform.

Airport spokeswoman Yolanda Perez said they aren’t meant to take the

place of the sheriff’s deputies.

“The presence of the National Guard at the airport came from the

highest level -- the federal level,” Perez said. “They’re here to

supplement the aviation security already in place.”

-- Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .