Soldiers asked to disarm during Leon Panetta speech By Raf Sanchez, Washington9:06PM GMT 14 Mar 2012
US soldiers were asked to disarm during a speech by Leon Panetta, the American defence secretary, in a sign of grown concern over spates of seemingly random violence in Afghanistan.
Less than a week after a US staff sergeant allegedly massacred 16 civilians in Kandahar, American soldiers were banned from bringing guns into a talk by Mr Panetta at a base in Helmand province. Around 200 troops who had gathered in a tent at Camp Leatherneck were told "something had come to light" and asked abruptly to file outside and lay down their automatic rifles and 9mm pistols. "Somebody got itchy, that's all I've got to say. Somebody got itchy – we just adjust," said the sergeant who was told to clear the hall of weapons.
Major General Mark Gurganus later said he gave the order because Afghan troops attending the talk were unarmed and he wanted the policy to be consistent for all.
"You've got one of the most important people in the world in the room," he told the New York Times, insisting that the decision was unrelated to Sunday's killings. "This is not a big deal."........................>>>>................>>>>.......................http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....-Panetta-speech.html
What a smack in the face to our soldiers, that must be damaging to their morale when the government doesn't even trust them to be armed around them The soldiers should have stayed armed and told him to go back to where he came from.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
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The soldiers should have stayed armed and told him to go back to where he came from.
