{"id":15083,"date":"2013-07-12T22:06:03","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T05:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/?p=15083"},"modified":"2013-07-13T14:34:29","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T21:34:29","slug":"vfw-post-3208-member-cpl-nathan-kremnitz-honored-dishonored-and-honored-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/?p=15083","title":{"rendered":"VFW Post 3208 Member Cpl. Nathan Kemnitz Honored, Dishonored?, and Honored Again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Assembly Member Chris Holden and Corporal Nathan Kemnitz at the State Assembly, photo courtesy of Assembly Member Holden's office. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Posted 7\/11\/13 –<\/em> Corporal Nathan Kemnitz of VFW Post 3208 was recently honored at the State Assembly by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) as the 41st Assembly District’s Veteran of the Year, and a few days later he was honored again with the rest of Post 3208 when they served as Grand Marshals of Sierra Madre’s 4th of July parade. \u00a0But in between these honors, his treatment at Sacramento Airport and at the State house left a little to be desired.<\/p>\n

Corporal Kemnitz is a recipient of the Purple Heart, a disabled veteran who has lost the use of his right arm and can’t see out of his right eye. \u00a0At the Post’s Veteran’s Day Ceremony last November, he spoke about the IED that injured him, requiring 25 surgeries while still not returning the use of his arm. \u00a0He discussed his struggles in dealing with it, including battling an addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and fighting depression and anger. \u00a0At the time, this is what we wrote about his speech:\u00a0Last to speak was Nathan Kemnitz, who served in Iraq and was wounded in Fallujah, losing the sight in his right eye, and the use of his right hand, arm and shoulder.\u00a0 He discussed losing his best friend when an IED exploded, causing his injuries and leading to 25 surgeries over two and a half years of treatment at Bethesda Naval Hospital.\u00a0 He discussed the sudden loss of the feeling of camaraderie that he felt with his fellow Marines, \u201cI was on a patrol one day, and the next thing I knew \u2013 lights out.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He told of the difficulty of coping with his injuries \u201cLike anybody who doesn\u2019t cope well, I started abusing my pain killers that the hospital gave me, started drinking too much\u2026I pretty much lived in this anger and bitter state for years\u2026I was\u00a0 angry because at the same time I got injured, I wanted to go back over with my friends, one of my friends went over and did two more tours and I wanted to do that, but I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t feel like a man, I didn\u2019t feel like a Marine, I was just an injured Marine walking around with all the other injured Marines\u2026I didn\u2019t expect my Marine combat tour to be like that, but that\u2019s what it was.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0He credited the Wounded Warrior Regiment with helping to pull him out of the anger and depression that he dealt with for the first few years after his injury.\u00a0 He also credited Doc Martin and the other veterans he has since met up with at PCC.<\/em> \u00a0You can view the video of his nine minute speech below. \u00a0Coverage of the entire ceremony, including video of a speech by the aforementioned Doc Martin, at\u00a0http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/?p=11429<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On June 26th, Assemblymember Holden honored Corporal Kemnitz at the State Assembly, saying \u201cThroughout the history of the United States, ordinary men and women<\/p>\n

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Corporal Kemnitz and an unidentified veteran march in the 2013 4th of July parade. Copyright 2013 SierraMadreNews.Net. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

have been inspired to do extraordinary things for this country.\u00a0 Nathan Kemnitz is one of those ordinary men whose heroic deeds we honor today,\u201d said Assemblymember \u00a0Holden. \u00a0According to the Assemblyman’s press release, Nathan Kemnitz represents what is best in America. He served this country proudly as a Marine in the Iraq War during Operation Enduring Freedom.\u00a0 In 2004, Nathan was severely injured by an explosive device which left him blind in one eye and with traumatic damage to his right arm and shoulder. He came home to Texas with a Purple Heart and a hero\u2019s welcome.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Nathan overcame many challenges undergoing over 25 surgeries and spending 3 years in and out of the hospital. He moved to Pasadena for a fresh start and a second chance and it changed everything for him. He attended Pasadena City College and had the strength and smarts to ask for a helping hand from the Veterans\u2019 Resource Center. Then he began helping others as President of the Veteran\u2019s Club and a member of Sierra Madre\u2019s VFW Post 3208.<\/em><\/p>\n

Having overcome many obstacles and been given a second chance, he graduated from Pasadena City College with a 4.0 GPA and has been accepted to the University of Southern California for the fall. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the fact that he was being honored that day didn’t keep security personnel from being “overzealous” as he tried to enter the Capitol building, ordering him to take off his dress blues, twice, because it contained too much metal, which he was not willing to do. \u00a0Later, at Sacramento International Airport, security personnel inspected under his medals, and even swabbed his shoes for bomb residue. \u00a0Kemnitz said that he had set off the alarms at Burbank Airport on his way to Sacramento, and when he was asked to raise his arms to be searched, he told them he couldn’t, but personnel there thanked him for his service and allowed him to proceed. \u00a0While Corporal Kemnitz recognizes the need to have security, he wonders if it couldn’t have been tempered with a little more common sense. \u00a0“I’m not saying to just let anybody with a military uniform through, of course not,” he told me. \u00a0“Just use a little common sense..show a little respect, that’s all I’m really saying…In my mind, I really couldn’t care less, search me whatever, I thought it was hilarious and ridiculous, that’s what I thought, but the other people…thought it was horrible, and I can see why.”<\/p>\n

Patricia Martin, one of the counselors from PCC that was on the trip, was offended enough that she took a picture of the personnel searching him, and sent it on to\u00a0Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. \u00a0It’s unclear from my conversation with Corporal Kemnitz how the story hit the media, but it has. \u00a0I first learned about what happened \u00a0Wednesday on Facebook when a friend from Washington (state) posted an article from NewsMax.com. \u00a0Shortly after that, I was contacted by Fox News, requesting permission to use my video, and the DailyMail.co.UK, a news outlet from the United Kingdom, also asking to use my video. \u00a0As far as I know, Fox has not yet posted it, but there’s a lengthy story with lots of pictures (including Ms. Martin’s picture of the search) and the video at the Daily Mail site: http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2358616\/Purple-Heart-Marine-treated-shamelessly-TSA-tried-explain-roadside-bomb-injuries-prevented-raising-right-arm-body-scan.html<\/a>. \u00a0Since Wednesday afternoon, the number of views of the video has risen from 50 to 94, a significant increase in traffic for an eight month old video.<\/p>\n

According to the Daily Mail article<\/a>, TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein issued a statement Monday concerning the incident. \u00a0 ‘Our intent is to treat all injured service members and veterans with the dignity they deserve, \u00a0as always, all passengers with disabilities and medical conditions are eligible for screening procedures sensitive to their particular disability, medical condition or other unique medical circumstance. \u00a0<\/em>‘Transportation Security Officers have to resolve any anomaly detected at the checkpoint,’ Feinstein said. \u00a0<\/em>‘As is standard procedure for all passengers, if travelers alarm when passing through a metal detector or an advanced imaging technology (AIT) unit, additional screening is required in order to resolve that anomaly.’<\/em><\/p>\n

Following similar incidents with other wounded veterans, the TSA recently changed it’s rules so injured troops no longer need to remove their shoes, jackets or hats in security.\u00a0They also offer an expedited service, but you must call the agencies (sic) Military Severely Injured Joint Service Operations Center prior to traveling.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just a week later, Kemnitz was honored by thousands of people lining Sierra Madre Blvd., as he and the other members of Harry L. Embree Post 3208 participated in the town’s 4th of July parade.<\/p>\n