TSO Presents Flag of Honor to Security Officer Schmidt

On 11 June 2008, Transportation Security Officer Margo Schmidt presented a Flag of Honor, an American flag imprinted with the names of the victims of 9.11, including those on all four flights, the World Trade Center towers, and the Pentagon, to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport Director Noah Lagos on behalf of her family and the Transportation Security Administration. TSO Schmidt undertook the project to procure, mount, and present the flag as a result of her strong personal commitment to the mission of TSA, an emotion which led to her seeking a position with the TSA in the first place.

“I want this to be hung in the airport so that passengers will see it after they come through the checkpoint so they know why we make them take off their shoes, pat them down, and make them give up their liquids. They need to remember, and so do we, that the bad guys are still out there and we’re here to stop them, and I hope this flag will help remind them and us of that,” said Schmidt during her presentation.

Noah Lagos accepted the flag, saying, “We are very proud to hang the Flag of Honor in a place of prominence so our departing passengers will not forget the tragic events of 9.11 and the people that paid the highest price for our freedom.”