duckhunter

Sounds like another policy letter in the making...

"Soldiers assigned to this command will not travel in any areas where they might come in contact with dangerous wildlife..."

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vzwnnj

Since when does the Army need justification for setting policy...follow the policy

Moondoggie

Yep, the general CAN set this policy, and woe be tide if you get caught and you happen to be somebody that "they" want to make an example of.

AgentX beat me to it. A base commander can require personnel riding motorcycles off-base to wear orange safety vests at all times AND helmets, even if the state doesn't require helmets. At MCAS Yuma, the Base CO's answer to the helmet question was "I'm providing your medical care and you're wearing a brain bucket when you ride a motorcycle; end of discussion."

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justin_stuart_21

I want to thank everyone for their advice. I am just going to play it by ear and it wouldn't surprise me if in years to come this letter isn't changed that a soldier will either be killed or injured because they couldn't carry. What upsets me the most is the fact that soldiers are bigger targets now and I can't even carry to protect the life of my family, or myself. I will just tough it out the 49 working days I have left until I start clearing and then on terminal leave go from there and not worry about it once I take the State Trooper orentation and PT test. It is a shame though to see more and more rights of soldiers being taken away, even if we did take an oath we all have the right to life, liberty and happiness, but I guess in the military we give up those God given rights.

JerryM

Sheldon J,

It won't wash. The letter did not say one could not carry any weapon anywhere, but concealed weapons in public places. That does not prevent one from carrying a firearm for protection from bears.

Having spent 3.5 years in Alaska 1960-1964 I would not go a lot of places without a good firearm. I used to carry a Ruger .44 Mag when fishing. Not very good, but better than my fist.

I can guarantee that the CG has all authority to issue such an order. I do not agree with it, but he can do it.

Jerry

Wyoming

I have a friend who is a LTC JAG officer in the USAR and a civil service attorney at an Army JAG office during the week. He just returned from a deployment to Iraq. I sent him the letter and asked his opinion. His phone call back to me in a couple of minutes went something like this. "Tell him it is perfectly legal for the commanding general to make a policy statement such as this, and to willfully violate it would be a violation of a written order and is punishable under the UCMJ." He was careful to point out this was for concealed carry and not open carry.

Sheldon J

There in is your solution, as I remember corectly open carry is legal in Alaska so just strap on a shoulder rig and go. ;)

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calvin1013

i've been stationed at ft. richardson, ak for 3 years now (mostly with the 501st). i'm pretty sure i read it properly, that u can't be packin "on post". anyways... after we came back from afghanistan in 04, we were packing everywhere we went (minus bars and clubs)... don't know if that was a good or bad thing. none of our chain of command really cared because they were doing the same thing~! LOL
the policy might have changed since then because, my buddy got caught at the gate having his HK USP compact in his glove compartment. they scared him with an article 15, but pretty much he got a slap on his wrist.

LibertyGal

OK, I don't have a military background, nor do I have a close relative who does . . . so maybe I'm missing something. But when I realized, from reading various posts on this forum, that military personnel can't carry a firearm on post - and now, at least in AK, can't carry off-post - it blows my mind. These are people who are trained in the use of all types of firearms and weaponry, many of whom have already served in combat, and who are basically living in the center of a big bull's eye. If terrorists or some radical militant group ever do attack a post and make it past the few armed guards at the entrance, what is the average solider supposed to do? Throw MRE's at them?? I don't get it. Maybe I'm missing something here.

LibertyGal

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Pickpocket

Funny thing about the military -
Unless it's clearly unlawful, a command directive doesn't need any more justification than the fact that it's printed on paper.

Articles 90, 92, and 98 of the UCMJ should do nicely to cover this one.

Beware of the barracks-lawyers :)

Apart from what the CG says, SGLI has the option to refuse payment of policy if you die in a motorcycle accident while not wearing proper safety equipment - which includes helmet and orange safety vest.