Stand Your Ground

By Al Horn

Buried in the largest local newspaper today was a side bar concerning an incident between an Admiral of the Navy and a Marine guard. The altercation occurred on December 31st at the Naval Academy. As the Baltimore Sun report goes, the Admiral approached the entrance in civilian attire with a group of friends. The report states that the Admiral became upset when asked for identification. Why?

Since 9-11, our country has become extremely security conscious. I personally have been pulled aside for random inspection of my person as well as my carry-on bag. I did not take this personally. In fact, I believe in a system that scrutinizes each and every person who enters an airplane or a federal building. The academies for our armed services should be no different. As a ranking member of the U.S. Navy, this Admiral should have approved of this guard's action instead of taking him to task.

How secure would you have felt had you been one of the Admiral's companions that evening and the guard would have passed you without a second look? If security were allowed to deteriorate at this facility, you would have to wonder about other institutes. Will airports, courthouses, and shipyards be allowed to become so lax? Yes, I find it inconvenient to leave home two and half-hours before boarding a plane at Lambert International. I lose a little sleep on those early morning flights but can usually make it up on the plane.

If we as a people can live with an hour or two of inconvenience, shouldn't the top brass of our country be willing to take a few extra seconds to make a proper identification? My hat is off to the guard who stood his ground. I hope there are many more like him.