I agree 100% that was he did was heroic and probably saved lives. I also agree that the policy is beyond stupid. If it wasn't you wouldn't have National Guard offices telling their people to arm up.
However, being a 19 year veteran I do feel he should be punished. He was given a direct order, which he chose to violate. The order was stupid, but it was lawful. He made a decision to violate the order and should be punished accordingly.
I just spent the last 6 years as a First Sergeant advising commanders on just this kind of issue. If I was standing in my CC's office, my advice would be Article 15 punishment or possible Court Martial.
I did see an earlier comment urging people to call their Congressmen. However, this is the last thing the military justice system needs. We have rules and a process in place and the last thing the process needs is a bunch of politicians sticking their noses into it. This is precisely the reason the military justice system is so messed up when it comes to sexual assault. The system was working and then the politics got involved. Now we have Commanders afraid to lead and make decisions based on politics instead of what's right for the member, the squadron and the Air Force.
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