Marines: Thanks But No Thanks to Armed Civilians

Marine recruiters told to call the cops if armed citizens show up
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer
July 23, 2015

Marines were also instructed to call the relevant Army Corps of Engineers representative to notify the lessor of the recruiting office property of the presence of the armed individuals.

After four Marines and a sailor were killed by a lone gunman last week, armed civilians have volunteered to stand guard at military recruiting stations around the country — but troops are being warned to keep their distance and alert law enforcement of their presence.

In a memo published Tuesday that was obtained by Marine Corps Times, Lt. Gen. Mark Brilakis, the head of Marine Corps Recruiting Command, advised troops not to support the "armed citizen" volunteers in any way.

"These citizens' presence, while well intentioned, will be counterproductive to our recruiting operations," Brilakis wrote.

Maj. Garron Garn, a spokesman for MCRC, confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
read more here

Marine recruiter shot in Chattanooga is back at work
Marine Corps Times
By James K. Sanborn, Staff writer
July 23, 2015

At first, Marine recruiter Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley thought a firecracker had gone off. But after a short pause, multiple bullets fragmented the front windows of his recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it became apparent that his office was under deadly attack.

The motor transport operator who had been on recruiting duty for just a month and a half when Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez opened fire at about 10:45 a.m. on July 16. Cheeley, one of six troops shot that day, was sitting on a couch near the front of his office.

“From the position I was in, I could see him, but I didn’t look directly out the door,” he said. “The immediate response was to get up and head towards the back office. After the first initial shot there the rounds were continuous.”
read more here