I keep our airports secure
Gail Linkins, 52, Mobile, Ala., federal security director for the TSA
"When the terrorist attacks on America happened on Sept. 11, my children, Alex and Katie, were 4 and 1 years old. I started imagining what their lives would become if we didn't fight terrorism. I felt very strongly that we had to stop the terrorists. I didn't know exactly what I would do, but I knew one thing: The terrorists couldn't win.
At the time, I was the agent in charge of the Mobile office for the U.S. Secret Service, which deals with protecting the president and vice president and their families, visiting heads of state and other high-profile political figures. An agent's job is to provide a secure environment for the person being protected. So when the Transportation Security Administration [TSA] was formed after Sept. 11, I realized that I was an expert at exactly what the TSA was going to be responsible for: creating a secure environment in airports and other places where people are coming and going.
Now I have more than a hundred people on my staff, and we make sure all airports in Alabama are safe. I also maintain constant contact with the rail, maritime and other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.
One of the defining moments of my job came on Aug. 9, 2006. The TSA implemented a total liquid ban on aircraft in response to a disrupted terror plot, and all the federal security directors in the United States were called together. We started training our employees that evening on the new security measures, and by 4 a.m., every airport security employee in the country was trained. We must have worked 24 hours straight. It was a proud day for me. Our agency was put to the test with a major event, and we responded incredibly.
My son is 10 now, and Katie is 7. I work long hours, and when there's an emergency, like a hurricane, I will spend the entire night at the emergency operations center. My husband, Dave, is supportive and takes on more than his share of caring for the kids, even though he has a job to go to every day, too. I know I can always come to the airport and feel secure that my family is OK. Of course, it's not easy--sometimes I'm just exhausted and overwhelmed by everything on my plate. But it's my responsibility to the American people. They're counting on me and on my staff, and I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love being a mom, I love my job, and each of those roles informs the other. As a mom, I want our children to grow up in the same nation we grew up in and not to be fearful.
I think about 9/11 just about every day. It means so much to me that people aren't afraid to fly, that we haven't faltered, and we continue to live our lives despite what the terrorists did. And I feel good about the TSA's role in that. Every single day that nothing happens--those are my proudest moments on the job."