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[recon532002]

Minnesota Marine on terror watch list
Updated: 04/12/2006 08:57:34 AM
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Staff Sgt. Daniel Brown (Photo from Pioneer Press)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota reservist who spent the past eight months in Iraq was told he couldn't board a plane to Minneapolis because his name appeared on a watch list as a possible terrorist.

Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel Brown, who was in uniform and returning from the war with 26 other Marine military police reservists, was delayed briefly in Los Angeles until the issue was cleared up.

The other reservists arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as scheduled, but instead of immediately meeting their families, they waited on a bus for Brown.

"We don't leave anybody behind," said Marine 1st Sgt. Drew Benson. "We start together, and we finish together."

Brown arrived more than an hour later.

"A guy goes over and serves his country fighting for eight or nine months, and then we come home and put up with this crap?" Brown said.

Brown, 32, of Coon Rapids, was returning from service in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq, known as the dangerous Sunni Triangle. He ran into problems at the Los Angeles airport on Tuesday morning.

"I was told it was going to take some time because they informed me I was on a government watch list," Brown said. "People at the Northwest counter said they had to call somebody to get me cleared."

Brown also had airport trouble when he was trying to go to Iraq - and he missed his plane then as well.

He was trying to board a plane last June for training in California before heading to Iraq in September. But Transportation Security Administration screeners found gunpowder residue on his boots - he had been back from a previous tour in Iraq for two months and sometimes, Marines in Iraq get gunpowder on their boots.

"I tried to explain what was going on, that I'd just got home and was going back again," Brown said. "They made a big stink about it, and I ended up missing my flight to California."

A spokeswoman with the TSA told the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday she was unfamiliar with Brown's case and not comment on it. A TSA spokeswoman did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

[Mama]

What a total crock of BS!

I sure hope the Marine finally got to see his family...sheesh!
Glad he made it home to the USA....despite the crappy welcome...

[Woffski]

WOW!!!!! Picture that!!!!

[outlaw3179]

Wow!

[GySgtRet]

that all of these Marines made it back ok. I do have a problem with TSA though. A Marine in his combat uniform with gunpowder on his boots. No screaming eagle S&^T. If you need a weapon in defense of the country what else would you have residue of peanut butter. Welcome back Marines.

[captken]

It seems like Daniel Brown is such a common name that there would be another identifier that would indicate that he is NOT the person in question.

At the very least they could treat him with the dignity he deserves while he is being held. You can be "by the book" and still be gracious at the same time. Then if the person is really the bad guy you drop the hammer on him. If he's innocent, as is the case here, you apologize, escort him past any and all lines and get him on the next plane to his destintion.

There are so many ways that could have been avoided. And if TSA can't pull their heads out couldn't his command initiate some action to get his name cleared or at least raise holy he11 with TSA on his behalf?