Among those massacred at Ft. Hood yesterday were many who were about to be deployed to Afghanistan, where they will be required to keep their firearms within reach at all times, because the risk of potential attack will be constant. The lesson is that such risks apply everywhere, and always. [More]That's today's St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner. Please give it a read, and keep the fallen and their loved ones in your thoughts.
Update Courtesy of Tom:
For the First Responders, primarily Department of the Army Civilian Police, and Sgt. Munley, who although wounded, put 4 shots in this monster donations are currently being accepted at the Chapels but there will be a press confrence regarding such things, as below:
Press Conference at 1:30CST and they will likely have info as to a general fund and specific funds later in the day. AS IS. Ft. Hood Chapels are accepting donations for all of them.
Bell County
301 Preist Rd., Killeen TX
(254) 634-0768
Coryell County
201 S. 2nd Street, Copperas Cove, TX 76522
(254) 547-6517
Stumble it!
12 comments:
Is that true that you were only issued a partial mag of live ammo for guard duty?
I've said it over at my place, but I think that the wounded, as well as the families of the fallen should sue for failure to adequately protect a population of proficient, willing, and able men and women who were willfully disarmed.
Yep--like I said, it was either 3 or 5 rounds (can't remember--I'm actually leaning toward 3 at this point). There were also only 3 of us, to guard a fairly large facility. We did have a SINCGARS radio to communicate with the guard commander, who could, presumably, get the MP's to respond--eventually.
This was pre-9/11, of course, when security wasn't taken as seriously. I have no idea what kind of security is used now. The flip-side of that is that back in those relaxed days, Ft. Bragg was wide open--anyone could drive onto the post, and go just about anywhere, without dealing with any kind of security. I'm sure that has changed by now, but when that was the case, I'd say there was an even stronger argument for arming us better.
By the way, I didn't mention that when we "guarded" the parachute storage warehouse, our "weapon" was an axe-handle.
An Axe HANDLE!!???!!
Like with no ...what do they call it... AXE!!??!!?
Jesus, that's like when some moron carries an unloaded gun because they just assume that pulling a GUN will be more than enough to scare a goblin away....
being a Maine boy I've logged a LOT of time with axes saws and splitting mauls, I'd break a few handles a year keeping Dad's wood stove well fed, so we kept a surplus. I can certainly say, even the bitchen fiberglass handles I used were DAMN shitty weapons without the business end added.
Well, keep in mind that we wore our berets at a menacingly jaunty angle--made us look very intimidating ;-).
Were they "Assault Berets"?
I bet we can't get those in Mass...or at least put them on at an angle...
For the First Responders, primarily Department of the Army Civilian Police, and Sgt. Munley, who although wounded, put 4 shots in this monster donations are currently being accepted at the Chapels but there will be a press confrence regarding such things, as below:
Press Conference at 1:30CST and they will likely have info as to a general fund and specific funds later in the day. AS IS. Ft. Hood Chapels are accepting donations for all of them.
Bell County
301 Preist Rd., Killeen TX
(254) 634-0768
Coryell County
201 S. 2nd Street, Copperas Cove, TX 76522
(254) 547-6517
Thanks for the info, Tom--I updated the post to give that info some more visibility.
UPDATE:
Sgt. Munley Kicked ASS. God Bless her and she mostly got it in the legs so should be mostly OK
I hate to say it, but when the army went to berets, all I could think of were Communist revolutionaries, a la Che. I lost a lot of respect for the armed forces then, and began to fear them a little.
Crotalus, when I was in the 82nd, I kinda liked the beret, and the esprit de corps it fostered as part of a supposedly "elite" group (I later came to realize that paratroopers don't really have anything on the rest of the Army, but at first, I wanted to advertise my supposed "eliteness").
The move to berets for the entire Army came after I was out. I guess I don't really have strong feelings either way about it.
According to my dad's officer first cousin that went Ranger instead of Airedale pup like dad did, many a year ago, the ELITE in the army were the cooks :-) I worked at a grocery store when I ws a kid and understand. They got first crack at the best food, before even the General Officers. Beret is one thing but steak is another!
He stayed in thirty years but he always admired the cooks and treated them well! Anybody can wear a beret but only a few have keys to the reefer trucks.
Cheers,
Thomas
(1) When I was in BCT, we were issued three rounds for our M-16s when on guard duty. In AIT and permanent party, when on guard duty or CQ duty, we were unarmed. (2) the beret is an example of the Army's preoccupation with form over substance. Rangers (and SEALs) made the black beret respected, not vice versa. Same with paratroopers and the maroon beret. (3) Army doctors and nurses are officers who trained and qualified with handguns in their basic training, but they are not allowed to carry weapons. A columnist for a weekly Atlanta newspaper made a big deal about how the Fort Hood massacre proved that guns are useless for self defense. "It didn't do the victims at Ft. Hood any good to have guns, did it?" Like most leftists, he was commenting on a subject about which he knew nothing. Of course, the victims were unarmed.
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