=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2007/10/03/BAIUSILJ6.= DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, October 3, 2007 (SF Chronicle) Oakland airport keeps Marines out of terminal in Oakland stopover Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Marines arriving on a military charter flight on their way home from Iraq were barred from entering a passenger terminal at Oakland International Airport to greet family and friends because of security concerns, airport officials acknowledged Tuesday. Airport authorities decided to keep the Marines at a remote location on the tarmac because the troops had not been screened and had their weapons on board when the plane landed about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, officials said. Federal authorities, however, said the Marines had been screened when their flight out of Kuwait landed earlier in the day in New York. "There was no disrespect that was intended," said Omar Benjamin, executi= ve director of the Port of Oakland, which runs the airport. "There was confusion. There were mistakes that were made." Some of the 200 Marines on board wanted to meet and greet family and friends at the Oakland passenger terminal before continuing on to their base in Hawaii, but that request wasn't made in advance by the military's charter airline, North American Airlines, or its ground handler, Hilltop Aviation, said airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes. As a result, the Marines weren't allowed in the passenger terminal, although they were allowed to get out of the plane to smoke, stretch their legs or go to the restroom, said airport officials, who apologized for the incident. "With different information, there would have been a different outcome," Barnes said. The incident has prompted outcry by conservative bloggers online who have questioned the airport's motives and patriotism. "On the far-left coast (the Marines) were quarantined from civilians," John Gibson wrote on Theodore's World, a Web site that bills itself as "American first and conservative second." "This smacks of the bad old days in the Bay Area when returning Vietnam vets were spat upon. Some high-ranking military person should make sure it never happens again. Our Iraq vets should be welcome anywhere and everywhere," Gibson wrote. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, a former Marine, agreed, saying the country's troops "deserve only the utmost respect for their service to our country." "I want to be very clear, the city of Oakland does not condone this type of treatment of our troops," Dellums said. "I have directed our port to look into these matters and work closely with airport personnel to ensure that this type of situation never happens again." Steve Forsyth, North American Airlines spokesman, said it appears that neither the airport nor the airline did anything wrong. He said the plan from the beginning was for the Boeing 767 to make a short layover in Oakland before returning the troops to their base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. "Everything I've heard up to this point doesn't imply that there were any issues in the way it was handled, except apparently someone has complained," Forsyth said. The airport said the Marines were not screened by Transportation Security Administration agents after they arrived in New York on a flight from Kuwait. That factored into the decision to exclude them from the passenger terminal, officials said. But the TSA said the Marines had been screened by U.S. Customs. "At no time were servicemen and women prohibited from entering the steri= le area of Oakland International Airport by TSA personnel or regulations," the federal agency said. The plane left for Hawaii about two hours after landing in Oakland, Barn= es said. E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---------------------------= ------------------------------------------- Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".