Originally Posted by
TSORon
Most likely he flew back from Afghanistan using a military contract flight, if not an actual military flight, and would not have been screened by the TSA. How he got from his flight termination point to his home is a good question, and may not have involved a commercial flight.
Ron, I have been on a few regional jet flights where the crew (usually the captain) announced that the soldiers onboard were returning home. After the applause died down, the captain then requested that the civilian passengers remain seated so that the soldiers be let off the plane first. It is one thing to see reunions happen, but a totally different experience to walk off the jetway and have to pass thru a group of soldiers being latched onto by their children. The soldiers don't even seem to have time to drop their huge duffel bags before their kids swarm them!
Anyway, as many of us FTers have vivid memories of being on regular commercial flights with returning soldiers, I trust that you can understand why we suspect that Sergeant Atwater flew
to MAF on a commercial flight.