More than 60 years after rescuing Europe from Adolf Hitler — and incurring more than 100,000 casualties in the valiant effort — U.S. commanders have ordered American troops based in Europe not to wear their uniforms off post. It’s to keep them from becoming terrorist targets. It comes three weeks after a German-born Muslim militant shot and killed a pair of U.S. troops outside Frankfurt Airport.
“The directive specifically forbids the wear of uniforms for travel between duty and domicile, short convenience stops, conduct of physical fitness, travel between installations, and off post messing,” said a U.S. European Command message broadcast Wednesday over the American Forces Network. The new policy, the Stars and Stripes newspaper said, “will surely result in some inconveniences for troops, many of whom have grown accustomed to eating lunch at nearby restaurants, and running daily errands. And no one living off post will drive to or from work in uniform.”
Might make more sense just to bring them home. Of course, some have been killed by terrorists here, too.