Monday, Aug. 22, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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I am bothered by those who are shortchanging the severity of the former president recklessly having taken top-secret files to Mar-a-Lago.
In the Army, I worked in a chemical warfare research laboratory, back when chemical warfare was still legal.
We all had secret security clearance and, as a naive 18-year-old, I followed my supervisor and barrack mates: Don’t ask work details of anyone outside your work group, don’t tell your work details to anyone outside your work group, and off base say no more than the base name. Also, internal security was tight. Despite our clearances, the only secure areas with common access were the Medical Research and the Chemical Research Buildings. However, within these, research areas were further restricted.
When my enlistment ended, In was required to hand over my security badge and sign forms, after which, when rising to leave, I was told to remain seated until they had finished. I no longer had access to where I had worked for three years. After processing, I was accompanied 20 feet to the guard desk and out the building as an escorted visitor.
Has government security lost meaning over the 60 years since I relinquished my secret security clearance?
