Careful with arming requirement

In response to Lary O’Neal (“Defending active military,” Aug. 5), and every soldier required to carry handguns. I’m a U.S. Army veteran. We were assigned an M-16. I also had a grenade launcher attached to my M-16, one of two for our platoon, which had about 24 men and two women. All of us kept our weapons in the armory. There were a few who had a sidearm – the MPs and a few officers – but very few.

There are reasons why very few carried weapons. One reason is there would more likely be violence from within the military than from outside during peacetime. I see room for unit police trained and profiled to carry sidearms and at check stations for entering military installations. Other than that, let’s not pour gas on the fire. Try to remember most of our military are very young men who often act like boys; sad to tell you.

Donald Gadberry

Othello