TSA Should Provide PreCheck for Military Retirees

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Long airport security checkpoint lines are the accepted norm. But should individuals who have already been fingerprinted and passed a background check be subjected to Transportation Security Administration screening to enter the TSA PreCheck program?

Wounded Warriors Family Support supports TSA PreCheck for retired military members with a valid U.S. Department of Defense Form 2 (retired identification card) and honorably discharged veterans without having to submit another background check and pay $85.

"Every honorably discharged veteran has gone through a National Agency Check and those who have held Top Secret clearance have had a thorough months-long Single Scope Background Investigation conducted," said Col. John Folsom, USMCR (Ret.), founder and president of Wounded Warriors Family Support. "Our background checks are equal to, and in many cases exceed, the background checks TSA conducts for its PreCheck program. Many honorably discharged veterans have lost limbs. Not to extend this courtesy can cause them pain when they stand on their prosthetics as they wait in a long TSA line.

"As a retired vice admiral of the United States Coast Guard, TSA Administrator David Pekoske knows than an honorably discharged veteran is not a security risk," he said. "Honorably discharged veterans should be shown respect by being assigned a Known Traveler Number without having to go through another background check and paying a fee. It's the right thing to do for our honorably discharged and retired veterans."

TSA PreCheck is a government-sponsored program that started in October 2011. It grants approved passengers on domestic flights ? and some international ? to expedite screening. TSA PreCheck costs $85 for a five-year membership.

There are more than 5 million members enrolled as 42 airlines work in cooperation with TSA PreCheck at 200 airports across the U.S. Unlike the regular security line, PreCheck passengers do not need to remove their shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets, which means less time in line. In October, 97 percent of TSA PreCheck passengers waited less than five minutes in a security line, according to the TSA website.

Wounded Warriors Family Support hopes to have support from the American Legion, Marine Corps League, Non Commissioned Officers Association, Retired Military Officers Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars in this request to Pekoske and Congress. 

"This is another way the American people can recognize the honorable service of our veterans and their families," Folsom said.

About Wounded Warriors Family Support
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot. For more information about Wounded Warriors Family Support, visit www.wwfs.org.

SOURCE Wounded Warriors Family Support