Posted on 03/14/2012 3:41:30 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Hundreds of U.S. Marines were ordered by an American sergeant on Wednesday to disarm before entering a tent where Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was set to speak during his trip to Afghanistan.
No reason was given and U.S. officials tried to downplay the move. But the highly unusual security measure comes amid rising tension in the country after an American solider allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians on Sunday.
Sgt. Maj. Brandon Hall told more than 200 Marines at Camp Leatherneck that they were to leave their weapons outside. Afghan troops had already been told that they, too, were not allowed to bring their guns.
"Something has come to light," Hall told the troops. When an Associated Press reporter asked about the order, Hall said all he knew was, "I was told to get the weapons out."
During his visit, Panetta promised U.S. troops would not change its course of action, despite recent flare-ups. The trip was scheduled before the bloody massacre which has spurred demands for officials in both countries that foreign troops leave more quickly.
Afghan-U.S. relations have frayed since the shooting incident, in addition to the burning of Korans at a military base in Afghanistan last month. That sparked nearly a week of violent demonstrations, leaving 30 dead, including six U.S. soldiers.
American officials later said the disarming order at the Panetta event came from top commander, Maj. Gen. Mark Gurganus.
He insisted to the New York Times that it had nothing to do with the massacre.
"You've got one of the most important people in the world in the room," he said. "This is not a big deal.
All *sshole communist regimes fear the military and armed citizenry until they have their own people firmly in place.
Ain’t nothing new here...same sad, sick ideology, different group of idiots who think “the right people just weren’t in charge last time”.
“...Bottom line? The criminal fascist government in DC hates and fears Marines and has since Tet....”
EVERY criminal, fascist government hates and fears Marines!!!
And that’s ALWAYS a good thing.
Excellent post!!!
Watched the video...what a joke Panetta is.
Standing there telling a group of combat veterans about “the nature of war”...
What a bright, shining, tower of intellect he is...and courage too...let’s not forget courage!!!
POS...total and complete.
There is a more worrisome situation here.
What if:
It had been Obama instead of Panetta?
What if:
The order had been for the Marines to disarm, they obey, only to find the Afghanis in attendance were not so disarmed?
What if:
The civilian leadership thought they could make a sacrificial peace offering to their Muslim hosts by giving such orders, then claiming plausible deniability when Muslim extremists made the slaughter of the sacrifice?
What if:
Any American serviceman in theater hears such commands again?
Add to your worrisome situations the fact that there was an attack on the base as Panetta landed. Turned out to be a lone suicide bomber, but there was no way to know at the time he wasn’t part of a larger effort. And knowing that, we disarm our Marines.
“....What if:...”
I hear you, brother...
You tell me. What if?
I put nothing past them.
I would think a decent CO would simply order a Pass in Review, have the ranks then assemble in formation, Port Arms, Present Arms, to check their bolts, then order Parade Rest or At Ease, for the speech. They would still be ready to act while a perimeter security could be roving in parallel. Simple grunt tactics every Platoon Sergeant grasps.
Are you aware the number of American military casualties the first year of the Afghanistan conflict during the Bush administration? That number is 12.
Are you also aware of the number of American military casualties in Afghanistan after Barack Obama became president? That number is 317.
During the eight years the Bush administration oversaw the war in Afghanistan, 630 of this nation’s best gave their lives.
In the just over three years of the Obama administration overseeing military operations in Afghanistan, that number is nearly 1300 deaths.
In less than half the time, more than double the number of American military casualties in Afghanistan since Barack Obama became president.
And what of this sacrifice? How are these bravest of our American men and women treated when visited by the current Secretary of Defense? There exists so little trust between them and the Obama administration that they are required to disarm in his presence.
Obama Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta must resign -NOW.
Source: Ulsterman Insider
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