[Cannoneer No. 4]

Spc. James Holmes, 28, who was with the North Dakota National Guard in Grand Forks, where he lived, was seriously injured Monday in Iraq by an explosive device while driving an armored Humvee. He died late Friday or early Saturday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he was being treated for his injuries.

Rob Keller, a spokesman for the North Dakota National Guard, said that although Holmes was a member of F Battery of the 188th Air Defense Artillery, he volunteered to go to Iraq with the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, which didn't have enough soldiers to complete the unit.

The 141st works to ensure that all the main supply routes are safe for travel, Keller said.

"They do this by improving roadways and patrolling the roads to ensure safe conditions and by conducting anti-IED (improvised explosive device) patrols to prevent roadside bombs from being in place," he said.

Perhaps if Specialist Holmes had been driving a $62,552 Mamba

instead of a $250,000 M1114 he might be alive today. But no Democrat senators have Mamba plants in their state.

[gunnedah]

Politicians whether the be Democrat or Republican should have to answer for this. The politicians not only waste money they are wasting lives in circumstances like this.
In the 9-11 hearings I believe it was the FBI director said the FBI consisted of only 3% of the terrorist budget.
Under Clinton the FBI had requested $3.5 Billion and got $360 Million when they knew there was a hiring freeze for the FBI and CIA. 46% of the FBI agents were not even qualified.They requested 200 agents and got 60.
Now our friends Ted Kennedy and John Kerry got $16 Billion to dig a hole in Boston.
Janet Reno said they knew about terrorism from the beginning but had budget difficulties. I would like to know how with the largest tax increase in history and the brillance of Clinton how this happened and where that money went.
We need a real accounting of all the money that is just missplaced and cant be accounted for or traced in DC.

[Ranger]

It seems entirely reasonable to seek specialty vehicles that offer protection as you propose. Have you probed to see why this isn't occurring besides obvious reasons such as maintenance and so on? Noted that some Textron vehicles were purchased recently. Speaking out of school, it would seem common sense would have mine resistant vehicles at the front of a convoy as you propose and rpg resistant vehices with some serious firepower bringing up the rear. Finally from a flat out practical standpoint, it seems we ought to be getting the M113s and Bradley's back in the fight asap.

[Nebr FAL owner]

Did a little reading on the "Mamba" mine resistant vehicle & did you know it uses Daimler Benz power plant/gearbox/front& rear axle? Apparently nobody has pointed this out to the folks in congress that represent the workers at Daimler-Chrysler!

If nothing else inform the guys at the local UAW hall that they could be making armored mine resistant vehicles for the troops at roughly 1/4 the cost of a armored HUMVEE that would stand up better to landmines better than the armored humvee but their democrat member of congress doesn't seem interested .

Wonder what the reaction would be???8^)