Posted on 05/26/2002 5:55:13 AM PDT by Jethro Tull
Philadelphia Airport soldiers' guns were unloaded
Airport soldiers' guns were unloaded
The Pa. guardsmen's presence was intended to reassure passengers. But they say their ability to handle an emergency was compromised.
By Marcia Gelbart
Inquirer Staff Writer
For seven months, more than 80 National Guard troops watched almost 12 million passengers walk through the gates and security checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport.
Among the most visible responses to the war on terrorism, the soldiers stood ready, dressed in Army fatigues, their 9mm pistols strapped to their sides.
But the guns had no bullets.
Instead, the soldiers carried loaded magazines on their belts.
At 16 airports across Pennsylvania, National Guard troops were banned from patrolling with loaded weapons, according to some guardsmen stationed in Philadelphia.
"I don't mind being in harm's way, but let me react," said Staff Sgt. Bill Lawrence, 39, a Montgomery County mason who was stationed at the Philadelphia airport until the guardsmen left on May 10. With the seconds it would take to remove the magazine from their belt and insert it into the pistol, he said, "we couldn't protect ourselves."
-SNIP
If a PFC negligently discharges his weapon, his commanding officer's career is ruined.
The only way to fix this is to make the individual soldier the only person responsible for negligent discharge.
Then the officers will let the men load up. Not before.
Frankly, I don't think they should have bullets either. Or at least they should leave the bullets in their vehicles outside.
This whole charade is absolutely disgusting.
How many terrorists do you think the airlines catch every day because they ask everyone "Have you had your bags in your possession since packing them?" and "Has a stranger asked you to take anything on board the aircraft?"
The utter stupidity of all of this is beyond anything a sane person could dream up.
Those unfamiliar with guns might accidentally shoot someone.
One of my fondest memories of the NG was a wargames in the desert. Our medical battalion was wiped out BEFORE the games started, and two Green Berets with the help of two NG ex paratroopers infiltrated the camp and "killed" quite a few greenhorns. However, by the end of the two weeks, we learned quite a bit.
The only thing the NG in airports had going for them is that the terrorists are essentially cowards who know little about real war, and were probably scared away from airports by this "show of force"
...and the US Marine barracks in Beirut.
"You get one bullet, and it has to be carried in your belt."
Well, if it's "Cigar Store Indians" you want to guard our airports, I'd be inclined to agree with you.
As for me, either properly train those stationed to protect us, or leave them home....
The sad spectacle of our military patrolling airports with unloaded weapons isn't "nitpicking" or "subterfuge."
It's about politically correct, run amuck liberalism.
It's a sad sight...
Unloaded weapons cost the Marines in the Beruit Barracks their lives.
The sentries at the entrance to the compound had sufficient time to shoot and kill or disable the driver of the truck bomb as it drove toward the building.
If you were part of a National Guard unit too poorly trained or insufficiently disciplined to be trusted with loaded weapons when they were assigned guard duty then the Commander of the Unit should be court martialed and the unit should be disbanded or retrained until they are competent to complete their assigned duties.
It is a grave mistake to underestimate the resolve of these homicide bombers or dismiss them as cowards.
Right now you can breathe easier because you are still protected by "rough men willing to do the work necessary to protect your liberty"
If you, or people with an outlook similiar to yours, hobble these men in the wrong way or for the wrong reason you will suffer consequences most people (currently) find unimaginable.
Any situation serious enough to require the presence of riflemen on patrol is serious enough to require those riflemen to carry their weapons fully loaded and ready to use.
Anyone who believes otherwise is a danger to themselves and to others.
Best regards,
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