As a new Department of Homeland Security employee, I felt an obligation to better understand this DHS component that is so visible to most Americans. I also wanted a better answer to the "airport screening" complaints leveled toward me at social events once acquaintances learn where I work.

So when the opportunity arose to volunteer at a local airport, I jumped at it.

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After standing near TSA employees for hours and watching the process up-close, it all makes more sense to me. There is a method behind the apparent madness of airport screening. Screening regulations, such as the "3-1-1 rule," reflect extensive research about current threats and aren't just random attempts to make us appear safer (3-1-1 means you can include three 1-ounce liquids in a single quart-size bag in your carry-on). Also, the screener's job is harder than it looks because it requires constant attentiveness balanced by courtesy.

After reading the article, I believe we should all appreciate what TSA workers do to keep us safe and not take them for granted.

(3-1-1 means you can include three 1-ounce liquids in a single quart-size bag in your carry-on)

For the New Year, let us resolve to remember that Sept. 11 gave us more than longer security lines and a new reason to gripe. It also gave us a new opportunity to reconnect -- not as "screeners" and "travelers," but simply as people.