This Is Why Most Military Personnel Aren’t Armed on Military Bases

I know guys who served in the USAF in SAC in the 60’s, and they assure me that their weapons were loaded on base. All of them, all the time.

I served in SAC in the 1960's as a B-47 Navigator.

Aircrew members carried loaded .38 cal revolvers all the time we were on alert (and slept with them next to our beds), but we did not carry them when we were not on alert.

Each aircraft on alert was guarded by an Air Policeman with a loaded rifle. The guards worked in shifts, around the clock. Even the assigned aircrew members had to show their flight-line badges and be recognized before the guard would allow them to approach their aircraft.

Gate guards, perimeter guards and roving patrols carried loaded rifles and sidearms all the time they were on duty, but not at other times. Anyone who tried to bully or ram their way into a SAC base would be warned, if possible, and if they didn't stop they would be shot.

Some of the roving patrols were accompanied by very large dogs, and the Air Police also had some Jeeps with loaded .50 cal machine guns.

Yes, SAC took base security very seriously and signs were posted. The standing orders were to stop any unauthorized people, put them on the ground, handcuff them and take them to the Air Police Command Post for interrogation. If they resisted or tried to escape, they were to be shot.

I am reminded of a professor from the University of New Hampshire who tried to penetrate a remote perimeter at Pease Air Force Base in the middle of the night, just to see if he could get away with it. As he told his story later, he got about 10 feet inside the base before he was spot-lighted, confronted by two armed men and a large German Shepard dog, thrown on his face in the cold mud, handcuffed and taken away. Three hours later, when he was taken back to his car, he was very sure he would not do that again.

What a maroon. He's damn lucky he survived.

Indeed, it was when SAC was under LeMay.

One of the two guys is a shooting buddy. He sometimes pulled duty guarding the line around the bombers. He requested that he be allowed to carry his choice of weapon, a Garand over the M1 Carbine, for which he has no use or love. ;-)

Today, he’s into his 70’s and he could still drill someone in the head at 100+ yards with a Garand offhand.

"...It's an old custom in most military organizations to keep the weapons in an armory, and only issue them when a battle is anticipated..."

Under Jimmy Carter's military, we sailors practiced our riflery in 22-caliber—using the same 22 H&R model I'd used at a summer camp for boys!

In 1968, we had rifles locked into a glass locker on a small Naval Base in W. Germany.

Unauthorized persons were announced at our high-security location "climbing over the fence". A totally-unpracticed midnight response was made by us sailors. The key was thrown to me—I unlocked the cabinet—and the six of us ran out into the night—fully armed with real ammo and real Garands.

We were later commended for that response, although I never figured out how to load that M-1 clip into the underside of the M-1 Garand!

:-/

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