[craigepo]

Angel Six---good question

Initially, let me begin by saying thank you for your service, both as a law enforcement officer and in the Air Force.

My explanation regarding the necessity of bayonet training lies in the fact that the Army's mission differs greatly from either law enforcement or the Air Force. When I was in the Army, the Army's mission was, essentially, to move to, close with, and destroy the enemy by means of fire and manuever. Clearly, law enforcement has no such mission, and inasmuch as the Air Force has a similar mission, that mission is conducted in the air, not on the ground.

While technology has greatly evolved since the beginning of warfare, one thing remains the same: we do not hold a piece of ground until we have a soldier standing upon that piece of ground, guarding it with a rifle.

We issue our soldiers tools a.k.a. weapons, to help them complete their mission. Again, technology is great, and our warfighting technology is superb. However, what good is close-air support during a storm that reduces visibility to zero? Similarly, what good is a rifle when you have run out of bullets, or it is totally jammed?

You state that if the bad guys have ammo, and we don't, bad guys win. Sometimes. However, let me remind you of Colonel Chamberlain's bayonet charge at the battle of Gettysburg. His unit had held the high ground, facing down assault after assault, until they simply ran out of ammo. At the next Confederate attack, Chamberlain led a bayonet charge that routed the enemy, held the ground(and the Union flank), and killed or captured a large number of Confederate troops. Chamberlain won the Medal of Honor thereafter(I believe this was the fight at Little Round Top, but it has been a while).

Soldiers must plan for contingencies, because they DO happen. Guns fail, radios fail, vehicles fail. However, our soldiers cannot. When a soldier is given a mission, that must be his all-important task; his life is secondary to the accomplishment thereof. Necessarily, whether defending or attacking, he must be prepared to, among other things, fight in a situation where his primary weapon(rifle, machine gun, or other) is no longer workable. At that point in time, bayonet fighting becomes a necessity.

Moreover, Army missions involve killing, often at uncomfortably close distances. Again, this is where a bayonet, and bayonet training, may become relevant. Our military today is amazingly effective. Our ability to neutralize enemy troops from stand-off distances is unmatched. However, there is now, and forever will be, the necessity to field troops who are able to fight "up close and personal". We ignore these uncomfortable truths at our own peril.