Employee Stories
TSA supply chain strong amidst COVID-19
May 29, 2020
You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. That is especially true for the supplies TSA’s workforce needs to carry out the mission every day. From the gloves, cleaning supplies and other consumables that our officers use at the…
A stitch in time
May 27, 2020
Sandie Chandler was sewing her own handmade outfits at the young age of 12, a skill she learned from her mother. “I was four when my mom gave me a toy sewing kit to occupy my hands while she sewed clothes,” said Chandler. In the years…
Home is where Fido belongs
May 26, 2020
Finding lost dogs is Sheilah Graham’s passion, and her motto is Never Give Up. For the past eight years, Graham, a TSA officer at Warwick, Rhode Island’s T.F. Green Airport (PVD), has volunteered her time and experience to assist families…
One good turn deserves another
May 19, 2020
TSA officers and staff in Austin decided the time was right for some quid pro quo and to show a little love to those who so unselfishly supported them with food just 14 months earlier. Once she got permission, Supervisory TSA Officer Frankie…
Wife inspires Alaska TSA officer to volunteer
May 15, 2020
We all get our inspiration from someone in our lives. For Martin Maricle, that inspiration comes from his wife. Maricle, a TSA officer at Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport, devotes much of his off-duty time volunteering to help his…
Uncommon efforts toward a common goal
May 14, 2020
Never take a breath for granted. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ventilators were in short supply across the U.S. and other countries. With efforts to flatten the curve, including social distancing, increased ventilator production became…
Baltimore TSA officer spends stimulus check on frontline workers
May 14, 2020
Supervisory TSA Officer Samantha Mudge remembers what it was like last year, working during the partial federal government shutdown for several weeks without a paycheck. “So many people helped us during the government furlough,” Mudge…
Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Nilsa.
May 12, 2020
Well-known poet and author Oscar Wilde wrote, “To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.” “It goes without saying that Nilsa Reid is a positive example of giving selflessly at TSA and to her community,” said…
Pennsylvania TSA supervisor feeds hungry kids during pandemic
May 06, 2020
Low-income children in the small Pennsylvania town of Johnstown have food in their bellies during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks in large part to Donna LaMonaca. LaMonaca, a TSA supervisory officer at Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, is on…
COVID-19 ravages transportation system; TSA offers help
May 04, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged America’s transportation system, and TSA is offering some assistance. In response to COVID-19, TSA’s Intermodal Security Training…
Locks of love from Dallas TSA officer
May 01, 2020
In 2020, over 11,000 children under the age of 15 in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with cancer, which is the number two cause of death in that age group. A family tragedy inspired a Dallas TSA officer to help kids stricken with…
I&A Spouses Lend a Helping Hand to Their Communities and Watch Employees
April 30, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered all of our lives in some way – whether it be our physical work locations or what we wear at the grocery store. Recently, several Intelligence and Analysis …
Work scene quite different these days for many TSA employees
April 29, 2020
COVID-19 swept through our country like a huge storm, and TSA quickly responded. While TSA’s mission to protect the nation’s transportation systems continues, agency leadership made a commitment to protect as many employees as possible…
Making masks: TSA employees meet the need
April 24, 2020
Every hero needs a mask. We’re not talking about what we used to refer to as “superheroes,” we’re talking about today’s heroes: our local medical providers, nurses, doctors and first responders. These heroes need masks to protect…
‘Oh, that knife? It’s just holding my bag together’
April 24, 2020
Flight loads at airports across the country have dropped dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that’s not stopping TSA from …
Standing shoulder to shoulder – six feet apart – during COVID-19
April 23, 2020
These days, conversations don’t end with “have a great day,” but rather, “stay safe” and “we’re all in this together.” There are times during this pandemic when just saying these heartfelt and sincere expressions are enough. When more is needed,…
Slam dunk! TSA employee honors nurses
April 23, 2020
You’ve probably heard the popular ad campaign “America Runs on Dunkin”. Well, during the COVID-19 pandemic, America has largely run on our frontline healthcare workers, and a TSA employee wanted to honor them. David Bruce from Boston’s…
‘Working Lunch’ leaves lasting impression
April 20, 2020
Well-known American poet Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A grateful passenger wrote to say TSA Officer…
Military personal effects find their way home. Semper Paratus!
April 16, 2020
Military pins and badges have become status symbols for military members, each telling a different story about the person who possesses them. So when Supervisory TSA Officer Ruben Idarraga went to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport…
Life in the Great White North during a pandemic
April 14, 2020
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of most Americans, it is not the first time Alaska has faced this type of challenge. During the 1918-19 Spanish flu that ravaged some villages in The Bush and the 1925 diphtheria outbreak in Nome…