HawaiiTrvlr

I recently booked a HNL-PDX rt and upgraded using a upgrade cert (both ways, thanks Manoa Chris). I can't do OLCI so go to the counter/kiosk to check in. After waiting several minutes for the agent to finally help me (not sure why HNL can be such a zoo sometimes), she checks me in. She doesn't use the terminal in front of me, but went down two more to print the boarding pass. All the while, she is wispering to a person beside her (a supervisor of some sort, I assume). She tags by bag and hands me my boarding pass. I didn't notice the SSSS until I got to the TSA screening. I have never been tagged SSSS in all the 100,000s of miles since they came up with this program. I was wondering if she had the ability to add it in there? Of course, when I went in to check in for my return flight, it had the SSSS on that BP as well. I asked the checkin agent in PDX if this was truly random and she said it is supposed to be. I asked her if she had the ability to take it out (figured since I was active duty in the military I might be exempt). She wasn't able to. The PDX WC didn't understand my question. I thought I would ask your opinions. Thanks. A side note, the TSA agents in PDX seem to be a bit more friendly. I asked them if I could be exempt from SSSS screening and he said only if I was traveling on official orders and in uniform.