Originally Posted by Ogden Sun-Times-Press-World
MAN WITH IRON LUNG FORCED THROUGH X-RAY MACHINE
Ogden, UT
12-6-2004
When Leslie Ottenheimer began his Thanksgiving journey from Los Angeles to his daughters home in Lafayette IN, he could not possibly have realised what was in store.
Slight Lurch
Gerald Oppenheimer (59) has a rare lung complaint, that requires the use of a revolutionary breathing apparatus known as a mini iron lung fibrulator (MILF). This device allows Mr Ottenheimer to lead a relatively active lifestyle, with only a slight lurch to the right when he walks to act as a giveaway about his condition. When going through a routine security screening at Denver International Airport, Ottenheimer, quite naturally due to the MILF, set off the alarm. Mr Ottenheimer takes up the story...
Security Guard
"Well, when the alarm went off, the guard asked me to step to one side, remove my shoes and belt, and go through again." Ottenheimer (64) said. "Obviously, the alarm went off again, and so they asked me to go into a side room for a further search. By this time I was very nervous, especially when I saw the size of the security guard in the room. I didn't know what was going to happen"
beggars belief
What happened next quite frankly beggars belief. Following a cavity search, which by itself is a violating procedure, Mr Ottenheimer was once again walked through a metal detector, andonce again set off the alarm. "I tried to explain about my MILF, but they wouldn't listen" Ottenheimer said. "It was then that they manhandled me onto the conveyer belt and sent me through the X-Ray machine, telling me to be absolutely still so as not to break anything in the machine".
suicide bomber
When the MILF showed up on the right side of Mr Ottenheimers abdomen, you would think that this sorry tale would reach its natural conclusion, an apology from D.I.A and a free upgrade for the next leg of his journey, unfortunately this was not the case. Over-zealous security guards, upon seeing the device inside Ottenheimers body, immediately went ino a huddle to discuss the situation. "I could hear them whispering" Ottenheimer explains, "They were saying things like, 'what is it?' and 'suicide bomber'". At this point, a SWAT team was rushed from downtown Denver, along with agents from the FBI. Upon arrival, the SWAT team forced a still partially naked Ottenheier to lurch to the ground.
eagle-eyed
It was only after an eagle-eyed FBI agent checked the X-Ray image of the MILF device. "My sister works at University Hospital, in Denver" explained Agent John Drozwakowski, "She'd told me about this device and I recognised it from her description". At this point, the SWAT team was stood down, and Mr Ottenheimer was allowed to continue his journey. We contacted Denver International Airport, who, amazingly, were full of praise for the way their security staff handled the situation. A airport spokesperson, Ms Bonnie Langford, stated "In this post 9-11 world, one cannot take too many precautions to ensure the safety of airline passengers and Americans everywhere. We have since promoted those responsible for these security measures and they are now working in our international arrivals terminal".
