Man found with explosives at Midland International Airport

**Odysseus** · 01-02-2012, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Kay

The news is saying now that he is an Army Green Beret
And just got back from A-stan this past November.

Could just be an SF type who likes to play with things that go boom.

**Kay** · 01-02-2012, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by Odysseus

Could just be an SF type who likes to play with things that go boom.

Yeah I think that was his claim, that he "forgot it was in there".
He is still here in Midland being held now by the US Marshalls
Service and is being formally charged with attempting to bring
explosives onto an airplane, a federal felony offense. He is facing
possible further charges by the military, according to the latest news.
It's a shame he's probably kissed his career goodbye with this stupidity.
I would imagine dishonorable discharge is in his future.

**txradioguy** · 01-02-2012, 01:18 PM

Midland has always been a top target for terrorists due to the oil fields and pipe lines here.

And IIRC the fact that a certain Presidents MiL still lives there in a nursing home.

**Kay** · 01-02-2012, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by txradioguy

And IIRC the fact that a certain Presidents MiL still lives there in a nursing home.

Yeah, back in the early days after 9-11 Midland was really attractive as the hometown
of the Bushes and also then Sec of Commerce Donald Evans, in addition to the oil fields.

**Odysseus** · 01-02-2012, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Kay

Yeah I think that was his claim, that he "forgot it was in there".
He is still here in Midland being held now by the US Marshalls
Service and is being formally charged with attempting to bring
explosives onto an airplane, a federal felony offense. He is facing
possible further charges by the military, according to the latest news.
It's a shame he's probably kissed his career goodbye with this stupidity.
I would imagine dishonorable discharge is in his future.

At the very least. The criminal penalties will cost him his career and pension, and the UCMJ will also kick in.

**Kay** · 01-04-2012, 12:32 AM

Update on this story

http://www.oaoa.com/articles/atwater...nts-state.html

According to court documents today, he was stopped on Christmas Eve at the Fayetteville NC airport where TSA found a smoke grenade in his bag. They took it from him, completely missing the C-4, and let him get on the plane there with just a warning. So he flew into Midland with explosives in his bag on the plane.

He claims he had no idea either the grenade or C-4 was in there. Now I'm thinking if I'm an elite SF type and by the grace of God the NC TSA let me off with a warning for the grenade I forgot I had in a bag ..... I'd dump out and go through the rest with a fine tooth comb to be damn sure I didn't over look anything else. I can have sympathy for the first incident, but there is no good excuse for the second.

Some heads should roll at TSA. They catch a guy trying to board with a grenade, then instead of detaining him, let him travel on with a bag of C-4 WTF.

**Kay** · 01-07-2012, 12:47 AM

Another update on this story, Atwater was released on bond today at his hearing.

http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stori...722069d27.html

Two members of the U.S. Army will escort Sgt. Trey Scott Atwaterback to Fort Bragg, N.C.
He then will be turned over to the third-party custody of his first-line supervisor

Don't you know that hurt. No doubt there's an Army officer in NC tonight that's
kinda hoarse right about now. And Sgt. Atwater is missing large chunks of his ass.

**txradioguy** · 01-07-2012, 05:41 AM

An Open Letter To Johnny Lee Qualls

Sir,

I am a 20 year veteran of the U.S. Army, the Tx. Army National Guard, a Senior NCO and a life long West Texan.
And I’m asking you to stop your defense of Trey Atwater before you do any more damage to the image of soldiers currently serving today.

Your portrayal of the C-4 explosives that Atwater was busted with as not outrageous and a “war trophy” is just plain dumb.

What may have passed as acceptable practice in the draft army of Vietnam and the 1960’s doesn’t fly in today’s professional all volunteer army. It is NOT acceptable today to bring home weapons, ammo or explosives as a war trophy to place on your mantle.

And despite the egregious claims you made in your interview with CBS 7 we are not all doing it. You are not portraying the “real deal” of how U.S. military members conduct themselves these days, in fact you smear them with that claim.

It’s actually quite the contrary. Soldiers are discouraged and punishments under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice are levied for bringing home what you described in your office. Soldiers are constantly briefed and told this when returning from a Combat zone. You aren't even allowed to bring home things like cigarette lighters that look like weapons. They are confiscated.

The customs inspectors are complete in their inspection of carry on bags that soldiers take onto the flights out of Iraq and Afghanistan. They make you remove everything you have in your carry on bags, they take X Rays of the contents so clear you can see a stick of gum. And trained dogs to sniff out anything that shouldn't be in the bags.

In short...there is no way he could have gotten those explosives all the way back from Afghanistan in his personal carry on luggage without being discovered.

I understand that you are trying to support soldiers and trust me I appreciate that. But what you did in your interview with CBS 7 has done more harm than good and left the impression with civilians that we are all a bunch of explosive carrying cowboys who collect war trophies like some people collect stamps.

Please sir, before you give another interview, think before you speak.

Atwater is guilty, he’s given the rest of us a black eye, he deserves to be punished.

SFC XXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
2nd Cavalry Regiment
Vilseck, Germany.

**txradioguy** · 01-07-2012, 05:42 AM

I posted that letter on Mr. Johnny Lee Qualls website because of this stupid interview he gave to the local TV station.

http://cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=31626

**Odysseus** · 01-07-2012, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by Kay

Another update on this story, Atwater was released on bond today at his hearing.

http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stori...722069d27.html

Don't you know that hurt. No doubt there's an Army officer in NC tonight that's
kinda hoarse right about now. And Sgt. Atwater is missing large chunks of his ass.

Actually, I highly doubt that anyone in his chain of command is doing anything that might be remotely construed as prejudicial to his case. An ass chewing might feel good, but a good lawyer can turn that into undue command influence at a court martial. The most likely scenario is that he'll be confined, either to his quarters or with the Provost Marshall, while his commander's commander's commander decides, in detailed consultation with the Staff Judge Advocate, what UCMJ action to take.

Originally Posted by txradioguy

An Open Letter To Johnny Lee Qualls

Sir,

I am a 20 year veteran of the U.S. Army, the Tx. Army National Guard, a Senior NCO and a life long West Texan.
And I’m asking you to stop your defense of Trey Atwater before you do any more damage to the image of soldiers currently serving today.

Your portrayal of the C-4 explosives that Atwater was busted with as not outrageous and a “war trophy” is just plain dumb.

What may have passed as acceptable practice in the draft army of Vietnam and the 1960’s doesn’t fly in today’s professional all volunteer army. It is NOT acceptable today to bring home weapons, ammo or explosives as a war trophy to place on your mantle.

And despite the egregious claims you made in your interview with CBS 7 we are not all doing it. You are not portraying the “real deal” of how U.S. military members conduct themselves these days, in fact you smear them with that claim.

It’s actually quite the contrary. Soldiers are discouraged and punishments under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice are levied for bringing home what you described in your office. Soldiers are constantly briefed and told this when returning from a Combat zone. You aren't even allowed to bring home things like cigarette lighters that look like weapons. They are confiscated.

The customs inspectors are complete in their inspection of carry on bags that soldiers take onto the flights out of Iraq and Afghanistan. They make you remove everything you have in your carry on bags, they take X Rays of the contents so clear you can see a stick of gum. And trained dogs to sniff out anything that shouldn't be in the bags.

In short...there is no way he could have gotten those explosives all the way back from Afghanistan in his personal carry on luggage without being discovered.

I understand that you are trying to support soldiers and trust me I appreciate that. But what you did in your interview with CBS 7 has done more harm than good and left the impression with civilians that we are all a bunch of explosive carrying cowboys who collect war trophies like some people collect stamps.

Please sir, before you give another interview, think before you speak.

Atwater is guilty, he’s given the rest of us a black eye, he deserves to be punished.

SFC XXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
2nd Cavalry Regiment
Vilseck, Germany.

QFT. Great letter.