Posted on 12/09/2004 1:39:23 PM PST by crushelits
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President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that soldiers' complaints about the safety of their vehicles and other issues are being addressed, and they pledged to do all they can to protect troops being deployed in Iraq. In separate sessions with reporters, Bush and Rumsfeld were asked today about a town-hall-style meeting yesterday in Kuwait in which soldiers preparing to head into Iraq complained to Rumsfeld about a lack of armor on some vehicles, inferior equipment, personnel policies that extend their tours of duty and difficulties receiving their pay. One complaint in particular -- about a shortage of "up-armored" vehicles -- seemed to strike a nerve in the administration, which had fended off criticism over the issue from Democrats during the recent election campaign. Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry and other politicians had charged that soldiers were being sent into Iraq without adequate gear because of poor planning and mismanagement by the Bush administration. After Rumsfeld invited "tough questions" yesterday, one of the soldiers in Kuwait, Spec. Thomas Wilson of the Tennessee Army National Guard, asked, "Now why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles, and why don't we have those resources readily available to us?" Other soldiers applauded the question. |
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
LOL!
"... Say No Longer Will Beat Wives"
I love our media, they control the vertical and the horizontal!
The administration response is good. I'd like to see some specifics. I doubt the dems will make any specific proposal, but if they are able to I say the administration should get there first.
I haave a nephew riding convoys from Kuwait to Baghdad. I also have a grandson who is finishing OCS and will be headed to Iraq early next year. I have read the article about troops having to ride convoys without proper armor. I despise national reporters who are looking for headlines, but the story about the Rumsfeld interview with the troops has been frightening if it is true. What kind of country would send men into a combat zone without the best equipment we had to offer? This is like Korea all over again (I went through OCS during that war, lost three childhood friends to Chinese snipers and am aware of the shortages of everything from bullets to tanks). If it is true that armored Humvees are patrolling Washington to protect worthless bureaucrats and politicians, while poorly outfitted ones are being used in Iraq this is terrible. George Bush should never have started this war without the best equipment money could buy. I an waiting on a telephone call from my nephew. He will tell me the truth. By the way, he loves his country, his family and his God and despises the national press as much as I do. This is not a complaint but a quest for the truth burdened with fear.
I have a feeling that the soldiers who applauded were actually journalists in disguise, who were planted by the liberal media to make it seem as though some people in the military really care about their protection.
I notice that no one in the administration has denied the allegations. I am glad this truth has been exposed. I don't really care what method they used.
You've got to be kidding? The military has been awful about issuing troops proper equipment...as well as reinbursing their expenses (another question asked).
The troops have been there for 2+ years. They can get the appropriate armour to them? We turned out entire Liberty ships in a matter of days during WWII. I hardly believe the "we're doing everything we can" line.
Trust him. Meanwhile it does no good to worry needlessly, though what military family doesn't?
But these troops that asked "the question", the 278th, are convoying to Iraq only by plane and armored vehicles. Not in unarmored vehicles.
They will use the armored vehicles of the unit they are relieving in Iraq.
See 278th Tennessee N.G. Reponse on Questions to Secretary Rumsfeld.
My thanks and my best wishes to your grandson and nephew.
I was just wondering why someone didn't remind them that the money has to be approved by the senate etc. before these things can be done. Why don't they ask some senators and not Rumsfield about this?
Let them ask everyone. I have no problem with that. If the query was based on truth then millions of Americans should be asking our public servants why it is so.
$87 Billion was passed so wheres the armor?
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