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Extend Service To Terrorists – Yes: To Americans – No
(February 12, 2010)
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One of my readers sent me a message in reference to a business in
Philadelphia that had the following on its sign out front of their
office location.
“We would rather do business with 1000 Al Qaeda Terrorists than with
one single American.”
My first reaction was what anti-Bush, what anti-US Government; what
anti-military left-wing liberal would put this trash on a sign in
their store front and hope to increase business?
It was a funeral home. | |
Van E. Harl |
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I guess even in the death care industry, there can be humor. Sadly
the day I received the e-mail I had been in two funeral homes. The
first one was by mistake when I went to the wrong location. I knew I
got the second location correct because as I pulled into the parking
lot I spotted the uniforms of Air Force “cops” and private contract
security officers.
Jerry Kidd, a security officer with the contractor that provides
entry control and base security for Altus Air Force Base, had died
of a heart attack hours before he was to man his post at the north
gate of the air base. I knew Jerry because I talked to him three and
four times a day as I drove into base housing through his gate. He
had a background in civilian law enforcement and had worked base
security for over two years.
Being an old retired Air Force “cop” sometimes I get the feeling
that as people roll through the gates of almost all Air Force bases
and are met by a civilian “security guard” they incorrectly believe
they have just encountered “Pop, the night watchman.” Some untrained
person who is able to stay awake and carry a gun, “do you suppose he
has real bullets in that gun”? Yes there is live ammo in those
handguns, but more importantly these security officers are trained
and state certified to protect our military bases and you. The
reason for having contract security at Air Force bases is to free up
the active duty Security Forces “cops” and send them forward to the
war.
This is a double edged sword though. The Air Force Security Forces
career field is the most over used and in some cases abused job an
Airman can currently be assigned to, in my big Air Force. We buried
our fifth Air Force “cop” killed in this war two weeks ago. What you
are not hearing is that among the dead of this war we are
continually burying contract civilians along with the men and women
in uniform who are dying.
In the middle of the first Gulf war (1990-91), the US started to
down size the entire Department of Defense (DOD). The Navy had over
600 ships in 1990 and now it has less than 300. And remember we are
in a global war on terrorism that takes a big ocean going military
to prosecute this fighting. The Air Force Security Forces career
field was once the largest police force in the free world, only the
KGB was bigger. Today these “cops” are needed in double and triple
strength around the world and of course they too have been
down-sized.
So what has happened is this current war has become a “contractor's
war”. The US military does not have enough troops even with the
Guard and Reserve being called to active duty to meet the needs of
this war. So we hire civilians to move in and take over many of the
support jobs that GIs would have done in past wars. Security of
military bases is one of those major support jobs (especially at
bases inside the US) that are being contracted out. The US military
cannot do its day-to-day peacetime mission without its DOD civilians
and contract support. But even more important to remember, in time
of war they would fail without “civilian” efforts.
The first line of defense for most state-side air bases is contract
security officers. These men and women are an integral part of the
war on terrorism. They are serving and protecting our air bases and
our nation. Jerry Kidd was a part of that civilian team that is on
duty 24 hours a day protecting Altus AFB, so the base can safely
fulfill the mission of training aircrew members, who will fly and
fight to protect our nation. To Jerry Kidd's family – I am so sorry
for your loss. We must always remember Security Officer Kidd was
serving and protecting Altus AFB. Jerry you will not be forgotten. | |
By
Van E. Harl
Copyright
2007 About Author:
Major Van E. Harl, USAF Ret., was a career police officer in the U.S. Air
Force. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the
Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. Major Harl is a graduate of
the U.S. Army Infantry School, the Air Force Squadron Officer School and the Air
Command and Staff College. After retiring from the Air Force he was a state
police officer in Nevada.
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