Navy Lieutenant Commander Timothy White could be charged with a crime for trying to protect the United States.
A convoluted picture has begun to emerge after last month’s terrorist attack in Chattanooga, in which four Marines and an active-duty Navy reservist were killed. During the attack, White joined local police officers in firing back at gunman Muhammad Abdulazeez. (It is unclear who ultimately killed the shooter.)
Now, due to his valiant behavior, White could face charges for the discharge of a privately owned handgun on federal property.
It seems impossible to deny that he was following the Oath of Enlistment for the military, which includes the pledge to “[s]upport and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The military, however, apparently sees things differently. Former Congressman Allen West, who served 22 years in the United States Army, confirmed that charges were being brought up against White.
Amongst the speculation, former Senator Jim Webb, a current Democratic presidential candidate, who previously served as a combat Marine and Secretary of the Navy, took to Twitter, stating, “Navy charging LCDR Tim White w/ a crime for trying to defend our sailors & Marines in #Chattanooga? He deserves a medal, not an indictment.”
The following day, August 2nd, he defended his comment, saying, “Before tweeting last night, we confirmed with a defense official that the Navy was seriously considering charging LCDR Timothy White.”
Webb is far from the only one who feels that White’s treatment is unjust. A petition to the White House to honor those who fought back with personal weapons during the Chattanooga shooting has more than 75,000 signatures.
Though it remains unclear whether White has been charged or not, the underlying issue cannot be denied: There is an inability of some military offices to defend themselves, as they are unguarded and, for the most part, unarmed. As Allen West charges, “What kind of freaking idiots are in charge of our Armed Forces — pardon me, our ‘unArmed Forces.’”
In the aftermath of the shooting, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno says that there are no plans to add security patrols or to arm military recruiters. Instead, according to the ABC News Pentagon reporter Luis Martinez, “Marine Corps Recruiting Command has instructed Marine recruiters to not wear uniforms at work, part of force protection since Chattanooga.”
However, it seems as if the armed forces are beginning to come to their senses. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has signed a memo that would allow commanders to arm qualified troops both at off-base and recruitment sites. If the U.S. military, trusted to defend this nation, is unable to protect its members both physically and legally under the 2nd Amendment, where does that leave the rest of us?
Jennifer Teng is an intern at The Weekly Standard.
