[Alberta's Child]

That's why some make it through that artillery salvo unscathed, while someone two feet away is turned to red mist.

And sometimes you die sleeping in a Marine barracks in Beirut -- because for some reason that nobody can ever seem to explain, the guards at the guard post don't have any ammunition in their guns when the suicide bomber drives his truck through the gate.

I make this point because THIS, more than anything else, is what kept me out of the service.

[11B3]

I know that personally, during my ten years of service, I never guarded anything without live ammo. Even when it wasn't issued to us. I knew that I'd rather face discipline for shooting someone with ammo that I shouldn't have had versus being killed for lack of ammo.

[Lucky Dog]

And sometimes you die sleeping in a Marine barracks in Beirut -- because for some reason that nobody can ever seem to explain, the guards at the guard post don't have any ammunition in their guns when the suicide bomber drives his truck through the gate. I make this point because THIS, more than anything else, is what kept me out of the service.

So you'd rather let someone else guard in your place?

[marron]

For what its worth, my boy was in the Navy in the Persian Gulf at the time the Cole blew. He told me that on his ship at least they served guard duty with unloaded weapons.

In non-middle east ports, they had no bullets whatever. In middle east ports, they were issued a magazine, but it stayed in the magazine pouch. You could load the magazine into the weapon at your discretion, but you would have to appear at an inquiry afterward whether or not you actually chambered a round. Needless to say, no one would do that unless someone actually opened fire on you by which time of course its too late.

They would actually have no one armed on deck while they were pulling into port, armed guards would only be assigned after they docked, which means that even if the guards were allowed loaded weapons, they would not have been on duty at the time the time the Cole was attacked. This does not say whether the Cole did or did not have an armed guard on deck, but merely that on his ship, in the same situation, there would have been no one armed.

Numerous boats would approach the ships as they pulled in, and at that time there was no effort at all to keep them back from ship.

[sarasmom]

You do understand that this website is in the USA?
Have you read the front page?
Assuming you have, let me enlighten you an a few primal truths that appears to escapes your capacity to understand.
The USA does not exist to provide socialist countries with a marketplace to sell their non-capitolistic exports.
The USA really does not care if Canada implodes, as long as you dont send your victims across our borders.
Suicide if you wish, we really dont care.
As long as we dont have to pay for your burial expenses.