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"They didn't even want us to have protection like helmets and body armor, let alone weapons, because it might look threatening,'' said Foley, of Erie, Pa. "That's crazy.''
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Though the nearly 2,000 Marines on this ship and another nearby have only just begun to trickle ashore, and are generally returning to the ship each night, the area in which they are operating presents some significant security threats.
Rebels have long been active in this region, so much so that the Indonesian government had largely restricted it from foreigners.
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Has our government gone nuts? Why do our Marines have to put themselves at needless risk to help people?
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But Indonesian officials have also been reluctant to let the Marines come ashore with their weapons because of the image that might project.
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Image? They want the image to be that of vulnerability? And our government is going along with it?
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Officials stressed, however, that security was in the Indonesians' hands.
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And the Indonesians are more capable than our Marines? They will risk their lives to protect them?
What will they do if a Marine is killed needlessly? This is the perfect opportunity for our enemies to take one out.
