Joseph Foss, an 86-year old retired Marine general, a former governor of South Dakota, and a former President of the NRA, fell under the baleful eye of America West security Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport last week. What awful crime, horrific gaffe, evil and suspicious behavior had two different security teams detaining him for up to 45 minutes?
Why, carrying the Congressional Medal of Honor he was awarded in 1943 by Pres. Roosevelt, when, as a Marine fighter pilot, he shot down 26 Japanese planes. That information is engraved on the back of the medal.
While security eventually decided that he was unlikely to try to hijack or destroy the plane with his medal, they did confiscate a commemorative nail file (with the Medal of Honor description) and a dummy bullet (connected to a keychain through a hole in it).
Gen. Foss said he normally doesn’t travel with his medal. “I do not carry the medal around with me. But I had it with me this time to show to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,” where he was a guest speaker last week.
Patty Nowack, spokeswoman for America West, said she could not respond to specific questions about the Foss case, as she cannot verify he flew on the airline. She could not say whether there would be any security concerns about a medal but that it would cause a metal detector to go off.
One can’t be too careful, these days.