Politics > Politics-USA > What the hell does it take for Bush's Pentagon to get our troops some armor?
| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
29 Dec 2003 06:32:23 PM |
| Object: |
What the hell does it take for Bush's Pentagon to get our troops some armor? |
From The Associated Press, 12/29/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-extra-armor,0,3918845.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
Democrat Urges Homemade Armor in Iraq
By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press Writer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --
The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee urged the
Army's top civilian official Monday to seriously consider allowing an
Army Reserve unit to outfit its vehicles with homemade armor while
serving in Iraq.
Army policy generally prohibits troops from using equipment that has
not been tested and approved by the military.
But fearing roadside bombs and snipers, the 428th Transportation
Company turned to local businessmen to fund and fabricate special
steel plates for their five-ton trucks and Humvees, which have thin
metal floorboards and, in some cases, a canvas covering for doors.
The Army has made no decision yet on whether the soldiers will be
allowed to use the armor.
Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the House Armed Services Committee's
senior Democrat, sent a letter Monday urging Acting Secretary of the
Army Les Brownlee to encourage the Army to "give every consideration
to the efforts of the 428th."
"The Army should commend the soldiers of the 428th Transportation
Company for their innovation and old fashioned American ingenuity,"
Skelton wrote.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said policy prohibits the Army from
commenting on letters between congressmen and senior Army leaders.
But Smith added the Army has asked the steel fabricator to submit a
sample of the armor for testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Brownlee told the Senate Armed Services Committee in November that the
Army was examining ways to add armor to vehicles, but he said it could
take until summer 2005 to have armor on all the Humvees in Iraq.
A spokeswoman at Fort Riley, Kan., where the Missouri-based troops are
preparing to depart for Iraq, said the unit will be able to take the
steel with them, but that the Central Command will decide later
whether it can be used.
_________________________________________
Which proves once again that the Bushies don't give a ***** about the
safety of our troops.
Harry
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| User: "Tabernacle" |
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| Title: Re: What the hell does it take for Bush's Pentagon to get our troops some armor? |
30 Dec 2003 08:32:12 AM |
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Harry Hope <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message news:<ish1vv8ipj60glf9k6831t4f5c4qednmsl@4ax.com>...
From The Associated Press, 12/29/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-extra-armor,0,3918845.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
Democrat Urges Homemade Armor in Iraq
By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press Writer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --
The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee urged the
Army's top civilian official Monday to seriously consider allowing an
Army Reserve unit to outfit its vehicles with homemade armor while
serving in Iraq.
Army policy generally prohibits troops from using equipment that has
not been tested and approved by the military.
But fearing roadside bombs and snipers, the 428th Transportation
Company turned to local businessmen to fund and fabricate special
steel plates for their five-ton trucks and Humvees, which have thin
metal floorboards and, in some cases, a canvas covering for doors.
The Army has made no decision yet on whether the soldiers will be
allowed to use the armor.
Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the House Armed Services Committee's
senior Democrat, sent a letter Monday urging Acting Secretary of the
Army Les Brownlee to encourage the Army to "give every consideration
to the efforts of the 428th."
"The Army should commend the soldiers of the 428th Transportation
Company for their innovation and old fashioned American ingenuity,"
Skelton wrote.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said policy prohibits the Army from
commenting on letters between congressmen and senior Army leaders.
But Smith added the Army has asked the steel fabricator to submit a
sample of the armor for testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Brownlee told the Senate Armed Services Committee in November that the
Army was examining ways to add armor to vehicles, but he said it could
take until summer 2005 to have armor on all the Humvees in Iraq.
A spokeswoman at Fort Riley, Kan., where the Missouri-based troops are
preparing to depart for Iraq, said the unit will be able to take the
steel with them, but that the Central Command will decide later
whether it can be used.
_________________________________________
Which proves once again that the Bushies don't give a ***** about the
safety of our troops.
Harry
It sounds almost exactly like the same kind of ***** our troops went
thru in Vietnam Harry, when they did things like driving down the
roads in trucks with two or three layers of sandbags (on the bed of
the truck) and with any old hunks of steel plate they could beg borrow
or steal welded to the sides.
Or with our troops going into battle riding on top of their APC's as
they would rather take a chance on getting shot than running over an
Anti Tank Mine and getting blown up trapped inside!
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