WARTIME PC DANGER: "...US TROOPS FORCED TO CARRY UNLOADED WEAPONS..."
May 11 2007 at 2:02 PM
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 71.1.245.84
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EXCERPT...
"...Wartime PC danger
E-mails from U.S. military officers in Iraq and Afghanistan have exposed an alarming, politically correct practice that is endangering the lives of troops serving in those conflict zones.
According to the officers, U.S. troops are being forced to carry unloaded weapons on most U.S. bases because commanders are more worried about a "negligent" discharge than the very real likelihood of a terrorist attack by an insider on the base. The rule is all the more disconcerting because these troops are in areas where they receive combat pay.
Defense officials say the fear of "negligent" weapon discharge is due to lack of training and is different from concerns about accidental discharge, which involves a mechanical malfunction that rarely occurs.
"This selection of political correctness and safety concerns over force protection contrasts markedly with combat experience in World War II, Korea or Vietnam, where soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines were required to be armed — with loaded weapons — at all times," one official said.
"This is a gross failure of leadership, and in all likelihood has contributed to the U.S. casualty rate," the official said. ..."
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