Anniversary Airport Security to Look Like Any Other Day

Officials at the Nashville International Airport say security will look like business as usual this weekend, even as the country commemorates the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Passengers may notice, however, small gray bands on the wrists of TSA officers.

The “Live Strong” type bracelets are being worn by the 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers in airports around the country, says Paul Armes. He’s TSA director in Middle Tennessee.

Paul Armes

“TSA is about remembering 9/11. And it’s got ‘TSA remembers 2001 to 2011.’ And it’s something we never forget on a day-to-day basis.”

The Transportation Security Administration only exists because of 9/11, born in the
months following the attacks. Since then, the agency has screened five billion passengers across the country and detected 50 million prohibited items. Of those, the TSA reports 4,600 were firearms.