Lawmaker says British army short of boots

Yahoo News ^ | Dec 5, 2002 | none

[Black Powder]

LONDON - British troops training for possible war in Iraq have been forced to wear sneakers because the military is short of boots, a lawmaker said Thursday.

Opposition Conservative Party legislator James Gray said soldiers had told him of the problem when he visited a regiment recently.

"They said to me, 'This is ridiculous. Why can't we get proper boots?'" he said. "They said it was all right if you're a size 1 or a size 12, but if you are 8, 9 or 10, as most people are, then there is a real problem."

"It is simply extraordinary," he said, adding that the soldiers told him they'd been informed they would be sent to Iraq if there was a war there. "We are not talking about jet fighters or tanks. This is the most basic equipment."

Defense Minister Lewis Moonie said in a statement that there had been problems with the supply of combat boots "as a result of production difficulties with the contractors concerned."

"These difficulties have been resolved, and stocks are being replenished," he said. "We do not believe any soldier was without combat assault boots because of these difficulties."

[coloradan]

Assault boots? Ban them!

[Winston Smith]

Had to get the boat in from the Chinese contractors!!

[hoosierskypilot]

Weren't these guys short of rifles in WWII? Didn't we ship them tons of rifles? And after the war, didn't they refuse to return the rifles, instead destroying them?

Do the British actually have an army?

[the_Watchman]

You're not kidding! Two years ago I went to a sports store to buy hiking boots. EVERYTHING was made in China. At the time I wondered if the U.S. was losing its ability to manufacture boots.

[musicman]

Gosh!!!...Wasn't it durring "Bill and Al's" totally pathetic 8 year "attempt" at being prez and vp,that they placed a "pesha o-da" of a bunch of those boots from their main campaign contributers?....(kinda like a "thank you thing..) And to think all this time,Bill had me fooled into thinkin' that he and his brit buddy "Tony" were best friends like no other.Now I'm thinkin,Bill was lyin' about it all the time!!

A real true friend,would have at least "shared the wealth" with his CLOSEST friend on this earth. TRUE friends, would NEVER let their best buddy (who has almost the SAME job , just a smaller scale working environment version),look like he can't handle HIS job, by letting the soldiers under his command come up short in the boots they need for "work".Geez...all he had to do to help out his "best friend" was just place a larger order...(it wasn't HIS money that he was spendin' to get the boots anyway,so why not help out yer best "bud",too???)

OK Bill...I'm gonna have to start "evaluatin" a little closer, what comes out of yer mouth from NOW ON!!!If you could do that to your "best friend"....it starts to make me wonder what you would do to folks that aren't.....

[jimtorr]

"Combat Assualt Boots"

Is that sort-of like an Urban Assualt Vehicle?

[American in Israel]

It seems the govenment representatives spent too much money hiring their friends to count bugs in peat moss or studying the mating habits of three toes frogs to actualy buy something tangible with tax money. Guess if they are going to be forced to actualy do the job of being a Government they will just have to raise taxes. No money left for things like firefighters and military sorts after all the pork is taken off the top...

[Prodigal Son]

Do the British actually have an army?

I wouldn't say that around the families of the British soldiers who were killed by American friendly fire during Desert Storm. Also, I'd reckon the jihadis who were waxed by the SAS in Afghanistan would tell you the Brits do indeed have an Army (well, they'd tell you that if they weren't dead now).

[dighton]

"Now let's talk. What's all this infernal nonsense about boots?"