There is a soldier. He is very abusive to his wife, has caused get serious bodily injury. He has also threatened her. He has two children. One is female and pregnant. The other not so much.
The pregnant daughter is about to have her baby. Her sibling understandably wants to go be with the sister. So someone(a woman) the sibling knows is offering to take the sibling to see the sister. The woman is convinced that the soldier won't start anything with her. But a third is still concerned for their safety and would like to accompany them on this trip. There is no talking them out if it. Unfortunately, the law prohibits carry on military installations and in hospitals.
Obviously it is not an ideal situation and the best course of action is to just avoid the base entirely. Whether carry is allowed or not. But remember, it's not the carrier's idea to go. They are only accompanying them as a guardian.
All of this is true, it's not just some random scenario I pulled out of my ass. Rather it's a situation some friends of mine fine themselves in. I'm sure it's not the only case like it either. It highlights situations where a gun, while you may never have to use it, is necessitated beyond the extremely rare crazed shooter possibilities.
Military installations are probably some of the safest places to be, but even so it's not 100% safe.
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On base/post it's a subset of the outside world.
There are still fights, weapons, murders, etc. On base/post is one place where you cannot defend yourself legally.
The military is one place where your boss can enter your 'home' without a warrant and screw you without cause.
Last edited by Freedom1Man; 05-05-2012 at 11:49 AM.
Provision for free medical attendance and nursing, for clothing, for food, for housing, for the education of children, and a hundred other matters, might with equal propriety be proposed as tending to relieve the employee of mental strain and worry. --- These matters obviously lie outside the orbit of congressional power. (Railroad Retirement Board v Alton Railroad)
On base there are several wonderful resources that we mere civilians just cannot access.
Let's start with the First Sergeant, and then move up to the Sergeant Major. Make them aware of the domestic problem. They can, and generally do, make it a military matter for the soldier. Not only orders (written if necessary) to refrain from all forms of assault (verbal and economic as well as physical) but referrals for evaluation and/or counseling.
The base Provost Marshal's Office (PMO) is mightily interested in preventing crimes (both UCMJ and civilian) from being committed on the base and thus bringing disgrace and discredit to the military service. They might be persuaded to accompany the family members while they perform a "welfare check" on their relative. If not, the First Sergeant/Sergeant Major can submit (via telephone as well as in writing) a request for them to accompany the civilian relatives.
If the pregnant relative is a military dependant, the servicemember can in certain circumstances be required to take out an alloment to provide support. This would allow the dependant to move off base if they are old enough to legally get their own place. If the pregnant relative is a dependant and not of legal age (generally the case) then there are both military, military support, and civilian support services that can and should be contacted and brought into the picture. The First Sergeant/Sergeant Major is a wealth of information about who those agencies are and how to get them started in being involved. Again, the servicemember can be given an order (written as well as verbal) to not only allow those agencies to do their things, but to actively and positively participate in the services being provided.
And just to make sure that all the bases are touched - the same goes for the servicemember's wife.
While for all of these things it would be wonderful if the servicemember's wife and the pregnant (presumed) dependant made contact and sought out all these wonderful services and support agencies, the non-military family relatives can initiate the process.
The only downside to all this is that the military may just decide that te servicemember is not someone they want to retain, and cut them loose. That puts the pregnant female and the wife pretty much out on the street and needing to navigate the civilian support services without help from folks as powerful as the First Sergeant/Sergeant Major. It also may throw the family into economic upset.
Be careful what you wish for.
stay safe.
"He'll regret it to his dying day....if ever he lives that long."----The Quiet Man
Because stupidity isn't a race, and everybody can win.
All the military bases I was stationed at you could not carry. Don't like it? Too bad.
Last edited by davidmcbeth; 05-06-2012 at 07:45 PM.
The wife is not the pregnant child's mother, but step mother. The wife and soldier are separated and in the process of getting divorced. The soldier isn't a soldier anymore, but a sort of civilian contractor for the base.
Does the Sergeant Major bit still apply?
Thank you for the information, Skid. Will definitely put it to good use.
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