Enlisted, I was a scrub nurse working in the Operating Room at Ireland Army Hospital in Ft. Knox. Later, I continued in a MASH unit in my hometown in the Army Reserve. I wouldn't have put it past any of the officers around me at IAH to be anti-gun, after all, it was primarily a bunch of doctors and nurses. The same mix of officer types at the MASH unit in Tennessee...not so much. Something about the hills of East Tennessee made a person gun-friendly back in the '80s, I guess.oljames3 wrote:Enlisted into 1st Cavalry Division, 1973. OCS 1976, back to 1CD. Joined Texas Army National Guard in 1991. Called back to active duty 2004, retired 2012. 10 years commissioned, 24 years enlisted.
All of my artillery units were nuclear capable or nuclear only. Almost all unit members were in the Personnel Reliability Program. The infantry guarding my Pershing missiles carried loaded M16s. I trained my soldiers thoroughly on the use of force. I'd trust any of them.
MG Nichols, Texas Adjutant General, has issued a policy clarifying that Texas National Guardsmen who have an LTC can carry in uniform.
Maybe the artillery is different, but I don't even know any officers who are against enlisted soldiers carrying their firearms.
Once I was commissioned, I was in the 278th ACR, also in East Tennessee. Not one of my fellow officers in that unit would have batted an eye at the sight of a handgun or rifle. Gosh, if you went into a bar without a gun or a knife, we'd loan you one so you didn't feel out of place!