Guard headed to airports

An unspecified number of armed Missouri National Guard soldiers will take watch beginning Saturday at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to present what a Guard spokeswoman called "a highly visible deterrent to terrorism."

The Guard has chosen about 250 from a pool of 700 troops who volunteered to help with security at eight commercial airports in Missouri, said Lt. Tamara Spicer, a National Guard spokeswoman in Jefferson City, Mo. That means no units had to be activated, she said.

"The Guard has really stepped up in a big way," said Spicer.

Names of the guardsmen who will serve and the units they come from were not released Tuesday, but Spicer said they may be made public later. She declined to say how many guardsmen will be stationed at the Cape Girardeau airport.

The troops will carry 9 mm pistols -- not standard-issue M-16 rifles, Spicer said.

Airport manager Bruce Loy said a Guard presence could be helpful, but he still is unclear about specifics of what they can and cannot do.

"My problem is I don't know what the state is going to allow them to do because I have not been given any information," Loy said. "There are a lot of people wanting information, myself included, and I just don't have it yet."

The soldiers are undergoing four days of training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where they are taking refresher courses in basic soldier skills such as weapon use and some combat training.

They are also undergoing special training by the Federal Aviation Administration. That includes learning about the legal and operational considerations of guarding checkpoints, courteous and efficient screening, safe handling of deadly or dangerous items, conflict resolution, screening techniques and how to look for dangerous equipment.

Gov. Bob Holden said last week that posting troops at airports is a necessary step in ensuring public confidence in the safety of flying. The soldiers will have the authority to screen and detain people -- but arrests must be made by local authorities.

Six months on job

The Guard is expected to provide security for up to six months while the FAA hires and trains more civilians for security jobs. The federal government is paying for the Guard call-up.

At present, Cape Girardeau police officers patrol the Cape Girardeau terminal when passengers arrive or depart on commuter airlines, which offer flights to and from St. Louis. Once the guardsmen arrive, police will still have some presence, but police chief Steve Strong said last week he planned to decrease that somewhat.

Passengers pleased

Air travelers at the Cape Girardeau airport Tuesday afternoon said they had no problem with armed soldiers helping guard airports.

"It's fine with me," said David Marsh, 35, of Chicago. "I've been to Germany, and there are soldiers walking around with machine guns over there. This is nothing."

Kent Stevenson, 57, of Dallas said President Bush's idea of putting soldiers in airports is a fine one in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in which hijacked jetliners were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. But he thinks it will only make travelers feel safer, and he wonders what real impact they will have.

"I think things that shouldn't get through still will," he said. "I mean, you can put plastic explosives in a cell phone."

Scott Bivins, who saw his girlfriend off Tuesday, said even if it only makes people feel safer it's worth it.

"I think it's excellent," he said. "We have to do whatever it takes to become a safe country again. Feeling safe is a big part of that."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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