The Medal of Honor Taliban controversy has been brewing for a while now with various politicians pundits and parents demanding that the game be banned for allowing users to play as the Taliban in the game's multiplayer death matches. It turns out that the U.S. Army shares that opinion and they've actually done something about it.

The Army and Air Forces Exchange Services (AAFES) has confirmed that "out of respect to those we serve" Medal of Honor will not be sold in any of the 49 GameStops located on Army bases in the continental US and the ban extends to all military PXs around the world.

Confirming the embargo AAFES Commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella told Kotaku "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."

For their part GameStop understands and is compliant with the ban taking a tone similar to Casella's.

"GameStop has agreed out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform we will not carry Medal of Honor in any of our AAFES based stores" said the retailer in an email. "As such GameStop agreed to have all marketing material pulled by noon today and to stop taking reservations. Customers who enter our AAFES stores and wish to reserve Medal of Honor can and should be directed to the nearest GameStop location off base."

While I'm normally against censorship in any form this particular decision doesn't bother me too much and the significance is certainly overstated. The military isn't telling anybody that they can't or shouldn't play the game - soldiers will still be able to acquire the disc off-base at one of the countless GameStops across the country - but they are trying to be cognizant of the fact that they serve a very unique clientele. The people on a military base are the people most likely to be affected by the conflict in Afghanistan which puts a different spin on the reception. Considering that the 49 GameStops in question are only allowed to operate with the permission of the armed forces the whole situation is akin to a restaurant with a BYO liquor policy. You're free to drink you just can't purchase your beverages on-site.

If you're looking to find out more Kotaku has published two quite interesting opinions on the subject from one current and one former member of the U.S. military. The letter supporting the ban is particularly illuminating as it's written by a Air Force member who had already pre-ordered Medal of Honor prior to the announcement. The contrasting opinion can be found here.