A 9-Year-Old With a Pacemaker Was Held Up at the Airport by 18 TSA Agents

This is a sad world we live in, none the less. I really feel bad for this poor boy.

Nine-year-old Chille always goes through alternate screening at the airport because a pacemaker implanted in his heart doesn't allow for him to go through metal detectors. However, last week at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ, Chille was traveling with his mom, Ali Bergman, when he was refused security screening because TSA allegedly told the pair, "Some terrorist plots use children with pacemakers."

I can understand that "Some terrorist plots use children with pacemakers." but for real, look at this boy, look at his scars.

"Strangers were literally crying along with Chille, giving me their names and numbers as witnesses 'to this horrific situation!'" Bergman wrote in a post to Facebook outlining the entire ordeal. "They surrounded him! It was terrible! In the end, they . . . said that this wouldn't have happened if Chille would have just submitted to alternate screening of his hands being wiped, which Chille had been BEGGING them to do for over an hour. . . . Chille said, 'They should be fired for treating heart kids like this. They were so mean and lied and wouldn't swipe my hands for over an hour! . . . This needs to go viral to protect other kids!'"

How and why do you think this could have been handled differently?

Source

a reply to: slapjacks

This is horrible.

As the mom of a heart kid, I can only imagine the stress, anxiety and frustration this boy and his mom went through.

Better trained TSA agents might be a start. There should also be some kind of paperwork from his cardiologists that would grant a child like this a special pass to be screened appropriately. The pass might include a photo ID and be government issued.

This is a solvable problem.

Poor kid!!

a reply to: slapjacks

There's a reason why this irks me beyond the obvious. A while back I was traveling internationally and our flight ended up getting stuck in for 6 hours customs. There was this family traveling together and one of the members had some sort of serious illness, in which she had to take hers meds at regular scheduled intervals. The family was raising all sorts of hell as to what was taking so long for the luggage to arrive. The sick family member looked severely in pain and times I thought she was going to die there on the spot. It was unbelievable, customs could care less it seemed. This story reminds me of witnessing that situation.

a reply to: AboveBoard

I completely agree, just like how diabetics have the option of wearing the bracelet.

a reply to: slapjacks



Great work TSA. You've done it again!

Obviously the child travels a lot, why isn't there a note on his file about his condition? They can flag people for terrorism but not medical conditions?

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

originally posted by: Autorico
Obviously the child travels a lot, why isn't there a note on his file about his condition? They can flag people for terrorism but not medical conditions?

Exactly, just goes to show you how F*ed the "system" is

a reply to: intrptr

You talk # about America in literally every other thread in existence but you defend this? Seriously?

The TSA only exists to instill fear and submission into the population. I have rods in my legs now and a beard. Boy i cannot wait until i get to fly next time oughta be just jolly.

A grenade sewn into the chest of a nine year old. Give me a damn break.

originally posted by: intrptr

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

How would you pull the pin on a grenade if it's sewn inside of someones chest?

originally posted by: slapjacks

originally posted by: intrptr

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

How would you pull the pin on a grenade if it's sewn inside of someones chest?

Obviously, with a remote control button on that knife/gun/other metal thing that they'll let him right through with /s/

a reply to: slapjacks

Never mind the fact that something as large as a grenade would require part of the underlying bones of the chest to be removed in order to accommodate it...seems legit, right? Maybe a string externally placed to pull that pin out at the opportune moment...that sounds just about as plausible.

originally posted by: intrptr

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

It must suck to live life so scared. Poor you .

You got to hand to those TSA types...we got a lot of sharp boys watching our backs.
Monumental waste of my tax dollars!
Cheers

a reply to: lightedhype

You talk # about America in literally every other thread in existence but you defend this? Seriously?

Seriously I'm not defending the TSA. Get a grip.

A grenade sewn into the chest of a nine year old. Give me a damn break.

It happened in Vietnam more than once. But you're too young to remember or don't read much history. I wasn't justifying their paranoia just explaining it.

originally posted by: 3danimator2014

originally posted by: intrptr

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

It must suck to live life so scared. Poor you .

The TSA are the paranoid ones, not me.. But tell me why they were so paranoid about 'objects' sown into the chest of a nine year old... if you would.

originally posted by: slapjacks

originally posted by: intrptr

I know why they are concerned, a live grenade can be sown into a chest as readily as a pace maker. Booby trapped.

How do they tell. It is obvious to me as more and more TSA arrived to dilemma over what to do.

It could be a grenade, can't X-ray it. if you sign off I'll pass him. I'm not signing off on that.

And so on...

How would you pull the pin on a grenade if it's sewn inside of someones chest?

What is it amateur hour? Radio controlled, barometric, timed, whatever. "Pull the pin", lol.

originally posted by: intrptr
It happened in Vietnam more than once. But you're too young to remember or don't read much history.

You are so full of crap. Post some 'historical' examples.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: intrptr
It happened in Vietnam more than once. But you're too young to remember or don't read much history.

You are so full of crap. Post some 'historical' examples.

Not for senior crap. Google is your friend...

originally posted by: intrptr
Not for senior crap. Google is your friend...

Just what I expected. Mr. All Talk has no examples despite telling everyone condescendingly 'that we don't read much history'.

You read it, where is it?