Can a CO make a company wear eye protection all day to prove a point?

Yes because you know when the officers don’t show up with the right equipment. They are offered the opportunity to go home and get it or leave training or the commander gives them an extra pair. But it’s ok to mass punish when a enlisted soldier does it. you want to build team unity look of for the troops the same way you do your officers.

why not? it teaches mutual accountability. someone is late to PT formation, everyone but that soldier is in the front lean and rest position until that soldier gets there. same deal.

If it were me, I would be blindfolding the out of compliance soldier and make the rest of the fire team/ squad perform a medivac, because hey, if this soldier to took shrapnel to the face and wasn't wearing eyepro, that is exactly what they would be doing.
Train like you fight.

My question is what point do you think your commander is trying to prove?

Is it necessary, no. Neither is getting the kid on an Article 92.
Is it effective way to keep this specific soldier in proper uniform in the future... maybe. But it is probably an effective use of the commanders time and mild "punishment" to ensure that the subordinate leadership in his company is more proactive.

This is not even close to the limits of what a Commander can require of his unit.

I agree with CAPT Bob. The SGT (a non commissioned officer) could have been punished under at least 4 articles of the UCMJ. Would that make him better? The CO used his judgement, as did the SGT to punish him accordingly.

It is only Eye Pro!

The UCMJ doesn’t say anything against it so why not.

Yes. No. He did punish the soldier.....And 200 of his former friends.

If eye pros were a part of the exercise and this soldier didn't have his then his leadership failed him because a PCI should've been done during formation to ensure everyone had the proper equipment. Now if this soldier just decided not to wear them that's a different story.

I would recommend conducting this training for the individual Soldier that got caught not wearing the prescribed uniform correctly. Making everyone wear eye pro all day is pretty dumb.