In some of the very small COPs (think “Restrepo”) I could see amber status, maybe even red. On a FOB like Ramrod or Kandahar? Can you possibly imagine everyone going around in red status? Good Lord...the mind boggles.
I was at Sharana in the beginning, then Jalalabad. Folks running around all the time in red would have scared me.
But pulling out the magazine? No thanks. A gun with no round in the chamber is plenty safe enough for my tastes.
Now that I’m retired, I normally carry a revolver when I carry. The only safety is the trigger - don’t pull it if you don’t want a bang. That works for me, but I don’t know if I want a bunch of 18 year olds doing that 24/7. And I know for absolute certain that I wouldn’t want some of the other old officers who deployed with me to walk everywhere with a gun ready to fire. I grew up with guns, but some of them did not.
Heck, I never felt totally comfortable with the M-4...just didn’t have enough time with it to truly feel right.
I thought "Restrepo" for 15 long months while my grandson, who grew up in my house, (he's in the movie) fought there.
I 'thought' "Restrepo" when this traitorous CIC just handed it over, complete with ammunition/weapons, without a fight - to the Taliban - leaving them weapons and ammo they bragged they would - and did - use against our troops.
And none call it treason - I challenge you to cite where commanders in war just walked our solders off the battlefield and left the ground and munitions for the enemy to use against us?