GameStop won't stock Medal of Honor on U.S. bases

GameStop stores on base at Army & Air Force Exchange Service installations across the world will no longer advertise and will not stock copies of the upcoming first-person shooter Medal of Honor, which includes a multiplayer mode that allows players to take on U.S. soldiers as members of the Taliban. 

When asked if the U.S. military requested this action, AAFES spokesperson Judd Anstey said, "No, sir." This decision, Anstey said, comes from the AAFES. "No one requested it. It was a determination made by this entity, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service."

The person ultimately responsible for the decision is Major General Bruce Casella, the commander of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, who said in a statement that "out of respect to those we serve, we will not be stocking this game. We regret any inconvenience this may cause authorized shoppers, but are optimistic that they will understand the sensitivity to the life and death scenarios this product presents as entertainment. As a military command with a retail mission, we serve a very unique customer base that has, or possibly will, witness combat in real life.”

Preorders from a GameStop at an AAFES will be transferred to the nearest off-base GameStop location. The situation grows a little less clear when it comes to used copies of Medal of Honor once a soldier wants to trade in the game at a GameStop on an AAFES installation.

"Since the game's not been released yet, we're still working through those details," Anstey says. "Certainly, this is exclusive to the newest incarnation of the game."

We also contacted GameStop and Medal of Honor publisher EA for comment.
Anstey says that the AAEFS is part of the Department of Defense but that it doesn't receive tax dollars -- revenue comes from sales at its exchanges.

This isn't the first time a product has been made unavailable on military bases. In 1996, Congress passed the Military Honor and Decency Act, which bars the sale of "sexually explicit material." It was challenged on First Amendment grounds, and the U.S. appeals court upheld the law in 2002.

UPDATE: Judd Anstey of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service Public Affairs issued this statement Tuesday, reaffirming the AAFES' decision to not allow on-base GameStops to carry Medal of Honor. "The Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s position concerning stocking the newest Medal of Honor video game remains unchanged as its facilities have no plans to carry the title," Antsey said in the statement.

AAFES Commander Major General Bruce Cassella said in the statement, "Out of respect to those touched by the ongoing, real-life events presented as a game, Exchanges will not be carrying this product. While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, our position is consistent with the direction stated a month ago. I expect the military families who are authorized to shop the Exchange are aware, and understanding, of the decision not to carry this particular offering."

UPDATE 2: In regard to the AAFES' continued stance on not carrying Medal of Honor, EA Senior Public Relations Manager Amanda Taggart says, "We respect AAFES' authority to decide what's best for their customers. EA has not asked for, and does not expect, a change in the Defense Department's decision to restrict the availability of Medal of Honor on bases."

Source [http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/216354/no-medal-of-honor-on-bases-update/]