Miranda Tomic

At MSA Security, Veteran’s day is not just another holiday. MSA was founded and built from the ground up by retired law enforcement officers and military veterans. Their expertise and dedication make our company what it is. From our field employee to senior management, they are the core of MSA.

At MSA, we strive to foster an environment for veterans through which they can continue to serve at home. Vets are highly capable individuals with expert training. Many return home with numerous honors and commendations. Nonetheless, reacclimating to civilian life can be a challenge. There can be a lack of focus and limited assistance when transitioning back to civilian life. MSA employee and retired Marine, Luis Duran notes that “while it is difficult to transition from civilian life into the military, it is far more difficult to transition out of the military.” The greatest hurdle for veterans is the result of their struggle to find the sense of purpose they discovered through their service. At MSA, veterans are able to utilize their training and experience to contribute to the mission of safety and security at home.

MSA Veteran quoteMilitary service provides veterans with a high level of training and expertise on subjects such as improvised explosive device (IED) recognition, vehicle searches, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, security patrols, behavior pattern recognition, and more. These skills make vets uniquely qualified to perform the specialized security services that MSA offers. MSA relies on our veterans’ knowledge and experience to provide the highest caliber security services to our clients, and in so doing, veterans are able to find fulfillment by contributing to safety and security at home.

MSA is headquartered in New York City, home to over 200,000 military veterans. MSA has drawn from the most experienced and highly skilled members of this pool of veterans to staff posts at numerous major city landmarks. These sites are among the highest profile terrorist targets in the world. These locations require layered, comprehensive security measures, implemented by experienced professionals. Nowhere are MSA’s veterans more prominent than in our work at two of these sites: the World Trade Center and the Staten Island Ferry Terminals.

One World Trade Center officially opened for business on November 3, 2014 with tens of thousands of individuals passing through the site each day. It stands clearly as the newest addition to the city skyline and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. More than 14 years after the September 11 attacks, security at the site remains a primary concern. 

MSA operates the World Trade Center’s Vehicle Screening Center (VSC). Located below ground, the VSC is a state-of-the-art screening checkpoint for all passenger and delivery vehicles accessing the site. Each vehicle is thoroughly inspected, one by one, using several explosive detection technologies and methodologies. The VSC clears hundreds of vehicles each day, ensuring the safety of the campus.

Over 90% of MSA’s screeners at the VSC are veterans. They emanate from all branches of the military, and have been chosen for these positions due to their experience as bomb techs, screeners, and explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) combat engineers. They have all conducted hundreds or even thousands of vehicle searches while on deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, under highly stressful conditions. Many joined the military in the wake of the September 11th attacks. For them, protection of the World Trade Center site is not just an assignment, but a deeply personal commitment. 

Approximately one mile south, the Staten Island Ferry stands as another significant city landmark. Approximately 30,000 – 80,000 New Yorkers travel between Staten Island and Manhattan on the ferries every day, passing through St. George and Whitehall Terminals. The Ferry Terminals are among the largest and most heavily trafficked transportation hubs in the country, making security a significant concern.

MSA provides around the clock security services at both ferry terminals, including Explosive Detection Canine Teams and a CCTV Control Center. The MSA team deployed to the Staten Island Ferry is primarily comprised of distinguished military veterans, who bring their skills to bear on the protection of this iconic transportation hub. Security at the ferry is duly significant during major New York City events, where traffic through the terminals increases exponentially, such as the Five Borough Bike Tour and the New York City Marathon.

Military vets bring not only their specific skills and experience to MSA, but a set of character traits which distinguish them as exemplary citizens in all aspects of their lives. They are dedicated, reliable, vigilant, and highly disciplined. They are individuals of steadfast moral integrity. This Veteran’s day, and every day, MSA salutes all our military veterans and their sacrifice on behalf of our country.

MSA Veteran’s day Quotes

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