Q: As a Vietnam veteran, I was extremely disturbed to hear that U.S. Marines were disarmed during a recent visit from the Secretary of Defense, and that the order came down to disarm all military personnel prior to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s arrival. Can these actions be explained in reasonable terms?
—Jerome Jernigan, Atlanta
A: The decision for more than 200 Marines to leave their weapons outside the tent where Panetta spoke in Afghanistan on March 14, came from Maj. Gen. Mark Gurganus, the top commander of coalition forces in Helmand Province, the New York Times reported. "You've got one of the most important people in the world in the room," he told reporters. "This is not a big deal." He said the order was given because two dozen Afghan soldiers who also were there, were unarmed and he did not want to treat them differently, according to MSNBC.com. Panetta's visit came three days after U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians.
Q: I know Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones' birthday is April 24. Where can you mail him birthday wishes?
—Virginia Sexton, Marietta
A: You can write to Jones in care of the Atlanta Braves, 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta, GA 30315. Jones, who said last week that he will retire after the 2012 season, will turn 40 years old on April 24.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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