FIRED Y-12 GUARD DEFENDS ACTIONS DURING SECURITY BREACH

A Y-12 National Security Complex guard who was fired in the wake of last month’s security breach claims that he is being made a scapegoat for the high-profile incident, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Kirk Garland, 52, told the newspaper Aug. 25 that he was the first guard to confront three peace activists that had penetrated the highest security area of Y-12, reaching the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility. But he said he didn’t pull his gun during the incident because he identified that the activists did not represent a threat. He said he was fired for not being harder on the activists, though he eventually helped place the activists in handcuffs. He said his termination notice indicated that he displayed “blatant disregard for the situation” and he said that he is accused of turning his back to the protesters while they lit a candle. “They got to where they shouldn’t have been, but that’s not my fault,” he said. “So I handled them the way I was trained to handle passive protesters.” He added: “Even though you apprehend them, you still can’t treat them like [dirt]. You still have to treat them with dignity.”