Reimbursing patriotism
Soldiers and their families have been paying out of pocket for combat gear


First published: Thursday, November 4, 2004
The Bush administration's latest appropriations request for the war in

totaled $70 billion, and that was only a stopgap measure in what is
expected to be a long and costly American presence. Yet for all the money
that Congress has so far approved, it comes as a jolt to be reminded of

ill-equipped many soldiers in Iraq are today.

How ill-equipped? Enough so that they and their families have had to dig
into their own pockets to buy vital supplies to help them wage combat with
insurgents -- walkie-talkies, flashlights, gloves and bulletproof vests,
even homemade armor for Humvees. Support groups also have purchased
equipment to send overseas. And in New Jersey, state and local police
collected 1,000 used bulletproof vests for the members of the New Jersey
National Guard stationed in Iraq.

Reimbursing patriotism
Soldiers and their families have been paying out of pocket for combat gear


First published: Thursday, November 4, 2004
The Bush administration's latest appropriations request for the war in

totaled $70 billion, and that was only a stopgap measure in what is
expected to be a long and costly American presence. Yet for all the money
that Congress has so far approved, it comes as a jolt to be reminded of

ill-equipped many soldiers in Iraq are today.

How ill-equipped? Enough so that they and their families have had to dig
into their own pockets to buy vital supplies to help them wage combat with
insurgents -- walkie-talkies, flashlights, gloves and bulletproof vests,
even homemade armor for Humvees. Support groups also have purchased
equipment to send overseas. And in New Jersey, state and local police
collected 1,000 used bulletproof vests for the members of the New Jersey
National Guard stationed in Iraq.

The support is heartening, but the fact that it is needed is disgraceful.
How can the Pentagon send troops to Iraq without ensuring that they have
all that is needed to complete their combat mission?

More to the point, how can Congress? Granted, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-
Conn., pushed a measure through Congress that will allow soldiers, their
families and support groups to seek reimbursement for equipment purchases
made between Sept. 11, 2001, and July 31, 2004. Each claim is limited to
$1,100. "We shouldn't ask our cops to pay for their bullets and
firefighters to pay for their ladders," Mr. Dodd said. "We should do no
less when it comes to our troops."

It's the least Congress could do. It's bad enough that the Pentagon

the Dodd measure. But what is worse is that the money to buy needed
equipment was there all along. Only much of it was diverted by Congress to
pay for pork items. Some examples of those projects, as revealed in a
report on last Sunday's "60 Minutes" television program, include

the brown snake in Hawaii, and maintaining a marching field on a closed
military base.

It's all so outrageous. Why isn't the Pentagon resisting every attempt by
Congress to siphon funds? More to the point, where is Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld? He should be using his office as a bully pulpit to expose
the lawmakers who are taking money away from our troops. Why the silence?

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=301624

Reimbursing patriotism
Soldiers and their families have been paying out of pocket for combat gear


First published: Thursday, November 4, 2004
The Bush administration's latest appropriations request for the war in

totaled $70 billion, and that was only a stopgap measure in what is
expected to be a long and costly American presence. Yet for all the money
that Congress has so far approved, it comes as a jolt to be reminded of

ill-equipped many soldiers in Iraq are today.

How ill-equipped? Enough so that they and their families have had to dig
into their own pockets to buy vital supplies to help them wage combat with
insurgents -- walkie-talkies, flashlights, gloves and bulletproof vests,
even homemade armor for Humvees. Support groups also have purchased
equipment to send overseas. And in New Jersey, state and local police
collected 1,000 used bulletproof vests for the members of the New Jersey
National Guard stationed in Iraq.

The support is heartening, but the fact that it is needed is disgraceful.
How can the Pentagon send troops to Iraq without ensuring that they have
all that is needed to complete their combat mission?

More to the point, how can Congress? Granted, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-
Conn., pushed a measure through Congress that will allow soldiers, their
families and support groups to seek reimbursement for equipment purchases
made between Sept. 11, 2001, and July 31, 2004. Each claim is limited to
$1,100. "We shouldn't ask our cops to pay for their bullets and
firefighters to pay for their ladders," Mr. Dodd said. "We should do no
less when it comes to our troops."

It's the least Congress could do. It's bad enough that the Pentagon

the Dodd measure. But what is worse is that the money to buy needed
equipment was there all along. Only much of it was diverted by Congress to
pay for pork items. Some examples of those projects, as revealed in a
report on last Sunday's "60 Minutes" television program, include

the brown snake in Hawaii, and maintaining a marching field on a closed
military base.

It's all so outrageous. Why isn't the Pentagon resisting every attempt by
Congress to siphon funds? More to the point, where is Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld? He should be using his office as a bully pulpit to expose
the lawmakers who are taking money away from our troops. Why the silence?

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=301624