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Reporter Prompted Query to Rumsfeld - Troops Cheered Soldier's Question
Washington Post ^ | December 10, 2004 | Howard Kurtz and Thomas E. Ricks

Posted on 12/09/2004 11:09:53 PM PST by Former Military Chick

A reporter traveling with a National Guard unit prodded one of its soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld about the lack of armor for some U.S. military vehicles in Iraq, an exchange that made worldwide news Wednesday when the assembled troops cheered the question.

Edward Lee Pitts of the Chattanooga Times Free Press told colleagues in an e-mail that he and members of the Tennessee Army National Guard now in Kuwait "worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor" and that Spec. Thomas Wilson posed the question at his request.

President Bush and Rumsfeld both said yesterday that they welcomed the pointed questions that soldiers posed and that the concerns they raised were being addressed. The Pentagon held a briefing to make a similar point, but congressional Democrats continued to pound on Rumsfeld for his responses to the troops in Kuwait.

Two media analysts said Pitts should have disclosed his role in the story he wrote. But Tom Griscom, the paper's publisher and executive editor, said yesterday in a telephone interview that "the soldier asked the question" and could have rejected Pitts's idea.

"Because someone's in the media who's embedded with them, does that mean they don't have the same opportunity to at least make a suggestion of something that might be asked?" said Griscom, a White House communications director in the Reagan administration. "Is that what makes it wrong, because a journalist did it? . . . That response from the troops was a clear indication that this is an issue on their minds."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: armynationalguard; edwardleepitts; hillbillyarmor; rumsfeld
I am frustrated can't anyone get a story right? ever?

I cannot believe the gall, I was flipping channels, hit MSNBC Norville had on the soldiers father, who said oh how good his kid is and yes he has complained about the armor.

They even got the ex wife, so I can put 2 and 2 together, the reporter is setting up all these interviews.

Oh how angry I am about this, calling the reporting "enterprising!"

1 posted on 12/09/2004 11:09:54 PM PST by Former Military Chick
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To: Former Military Chick

She then quoted some study that will be out soon saying that 20% of all deaths are do lack of armor ....


2 posted on 12/09/2004 11:10:43 PM PST by Former Military Chick (Find a way each day to make a difference.)
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To: Former Military Chick
She then quoted some study that will be out soon saying that 20% of all deaths are do lack of armor ....

That is approx. 200 deaths. That is terrible but given that 268 were killed in Beirut in one suicide bombing and 6000 were killed in one day on D-Day this war has been remarkably "safe" for our military. I want our troops to have EVERY tool available as I am the father of a Marine but we will never make war bloodless.

3 posted on 12/09/2004 11:14:41 PM PST by Texasforever (It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your butt out all day long.)
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To: Texasforever

That question about the armor needed to be asked. USA is loosing too many men. We must have some real jerks in control of the ground war.


4 posted on 12/09/2004 11:24:46 PM PST by tessalu
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To: tessalu
USA is loosing too many men. We must have some real jerks in control of the ground war.

Baloney. We have a war. It is just as simple as that. We can't make our guys bullet proof.

5 posted on 12/09/2004 11:26:25 PM PST by Texasforever (It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your butt out all day long.)
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To: tessalu
That question about the armor needed to be asked. USA is loosing too many men. We must have some real jerks in control of the ground war.

We are paying the price for eight years of Clinton. In 1993-94 the military procurement budget had its guts ripped out. Then came Newt Gingrich. The Republicans took control of both houses of Congress in 1995, but Clinton said, "Restore those cuts and I'll veto the budget." So our front line military units rusted and rotted for eight years, until Bush was elected. Then Jim Jeffords did what he did.

The first military procurement budget that has been entirely written by Republicans was for Fiscal Year 2004, which started on October 1, 2003.

6 posted on 12/09/2004 11:30:08 PM PST by Bryan
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To: tessalu
That question about the armor needed to be asked. USA is loosing too many men. We must have some real jerks in control of the ground war.

Do you seriously think we can put every soldier in a bullet-proof cocoon? Do you really think we can armour every vehicle? Do you realize that many vehicles couldn't even move themselves if we armoured them?

I deployed to Yugoslavia not even ten years ago and I didn't have half the stuff the guys have these days. Not even close. You can't make the whole freakin' Army bullet-proof.

7 posted on 12/09/2004 11:38:29 PM PST by 12B
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To: tessalu

USA is loosing too many men.

Based on what standard? WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam? Armor will stop small arms fire but an RPG direct hit on an armored Humvee is not a good thing for anyone in the Humvee. Unfortunately it is war and casualties are going to happen--the enemy gets a vote. One casualty is too many but this war has had very few casualties for the number of men and women we have here and the amount of enemy contact.


8 posted on 12/09/2004 11:46:18 PM PST by lp boonie (Been there, done that.)
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To: Bryan
So right you are.
It will take a little while to repair the tattered state of the Armed Forces.
Just a few years ago I remember walking on to bases and
seeing aircraft and turbines being cannibalized because the funds for repair parts
weren't available. It was negligent what Mr. Clinton and company did.
We are doing the best we can.
Things are getting better.
9 posted on 12/10/2004 12:00:16 AM PST by DaveTesla (You can fool some of the people some of the time......)
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To: DaveTesla

Cannibalizing half of the vehicles or aircraft in a unit, for the parts to keep the other half running ... this practice was once limited to Third World countries. Then it became standard in the former Soviet Union. I didn't think it would happen to us.

The Clinton fans pointed to Afghanistan and said, "This is what Clinton's military was capable of doing." But they didn't recognize the other half of the Third World formula.

The elite units will always get the spare parts, fuel and ammo to stay combat ready. This is true for any country. So the Marines, Rangers and Special Forces, the aircraft carrier squadrons and SEAL teams, and the "stealth" Air Force squadrons were ready to be used in Afghanistan.

Notice that there were absolutely zero US Army divisions used in Afghanistan for the first two years. They were not combat ready. They didn't get enough spare parts to keep their vehhicles running, and they didn't get enough ammo and fuel to do the live-fire training exercises that every combat unit needs, in order to "keep the blade sharp."


10 posted on 12/10/2004 12:15:36 AM PST by Bryan
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To: Former Military Chick

So is this reporter a liberal interested in trashing the current administration, or just an amoral opportunist trying to make news and a name for himself?


11 posted on 12/10/2004 12:18:28 AM PST by Bernard (Caution Ahead - Road being Paved with Good Intentions)
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To: Bernard

I'd say both, and also scum.


12 posted on 12/10/2004 12:22:25 AM PST by ozzymandus
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To: Bryan
Clinton's military was capable of doing
ROTFLMAO
You and I know it was what was left of Regan's Military
was capable of doing.
13 posted on 12/10/2004 12:31:51 AM PST by DaveTesla (You can fool some of the people some of the time......)
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To: Bernard

Perhaps I should just say it was in the Post and it was written by Kurtz, so I think he leans LEFT.


14 posted on 12/10/2004 12:34:18 AM PST by Former Military Chick (Find a way each day to make a difference.)
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To: Bryan
Even the Marines got sandbagged.
Hillary hated them.
The Nav-air fleet was crumbling.
Until a few years ago Pax River looked like a ghost town.
15 posted on 12/10/2004 12:38:08 AM PST by DaveTesla (You can fool some of the people some of the time......)
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To: Bernard

the real question here is why the LIBERALS are so fired up about armor they opposed equipping our men there in the FIRST place.


16 posted on 12/10/2004 1:28:30 AM PST by Jazzman1
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To: Former Military Chick

Well it IS the media after all, why are we surprised? Another "Rather" moment here folks. The media is determined to lose this war for us just as they did in Vietnam.

I'll quote what another poster said on another thread. It comes in the form of a thought to others in country. "The Marines managed to kick ass in Fallujah with what they had. Shut up and do your job and duty."


17 posted on 12/10/2004 1:40:45 AM PST by RightWingRadio
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To: tessalu

The troops cheered because they are not happy about getting sent out to be killed.

Something is wrong here. Either political interference or incompetent brass.


18 posted on 12/10/2004 3:45:26 AM PST by tkathy (The Bluenecks need to get over it.)
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To: tessalu

Go put on your stars and go over there and fix it.


19 posted on 12/10/2004 4:05:41 AM PST by rabidralph (George W. Bush, the other Body Hammer)
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