Thursday, September 30, 2010

An "unfortunate misunderstanding"

An unfortunate misunderstanding? So that's what they are calling it huh. I was wondering, as a number of other descriptive terms came to my mind while reading this report. And a matter of fact, there are a number of adjectives that leap to my mind when I read about this incident.

Baker family invited back to White House

The White House hopes to make amends to the family of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Vernon Baker after they were turned away from a West Wing tour because of dress code issues.
Reports surfaced Wednesday that the St. Maries family was turned away from a West Wing tour over the weekend because Baker’s step-grandson was wearing shorts and a T-shirt bearing the war hero’s image. The family was in the D.C. area for Baker’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Another member of their party, North Idaho resident Thomas Norris, a retired FBI agent and Medal of Honor winner, also was denied entry to the West Wing because the Secret Service didn’t have time to complete a background check on him.
A White House spokesman said Wednesday evening that the incident was the result of an “unfortunate misunderstanding.”
“We would have loved to have hosted 10-year-old Vernon and his family at the White House and we have reached out to the Baker family and Lt. Norris to communicate our deep regret and invite them back to the White House,” spokesman Adam Abrams said. “This family, as well as Lt. Norris, have given so much to our nation and they have our sincerest appreciation and our apologies for this misunderstanding.”
Norris, who served as a Navy SEAL lieutenant before becoming an FBI agent, had accompanied the Baker family to Washington for the military burial Friday. He said Wednesday that he was told when he arrived at the White House with the Baker family on Saturday that the Secret Service had not run a security clearance on him.
“He apologized,” Norris said of the government employee who explained the problem to him. “He told me ‘The Secret Service has informed me they haven’t had time to do a background check and you can’t get in.’ ”
Moments later, after Norris gave up his place in the tour to the Baker family’s driver, who had clearance, Baker’s step-grandson, Vernon Pawlik, 10, was denied entry because of the dress code. Also on the tour were Vernon Baker’s widow, Heidy, and her daughter Alexandra.
At that point the family gave up and left the White House, Norris said. Heidy Baker was traveling on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

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