[Cannoneer No. 4]

Has Force Protection trumped common sense? The gunner is now fairly well protected, but what happens when he needs to unass the vehicle?

Our young men have become too precious to put in the mud. They must be carefully wrapped up in Ninja Turtle or Michelin Man armor and only brought out for special occasions.

So what happens when the next Cindy Sheehan wannabe blames Bush and Rumsfeld because her little Johnny didn't have an EOD suit? Or some Guard unit refuse to go outside the wire until they are all bombproof?

When does it end?

[M1Tanker]

That's why I wouldn't want the bomb suite. This is a problem with new technology. Most people who create it, though very patriotic and well meaning, haven't the foggiest clue about combat.

You can still exit the vehicle with the CROWS attached. It fits on the 50 CAL mount. The doors to the HMMWV are also not blocked. On the M113 and the Stryker, the top hatches are not blocked. All the CROWS does is give you a stabilized fire-on-the-move system with a laser rangefinder, thermal imaging, and nightvision. No bulky bomb suite armor needed.

The terrorists HATE these systems because it allows soldiers to engage them at maximum range with much higher 1st round (or one round) hit probabilities. A 50 CAL can be fire single shot in anti-sniper/IED roles, or a grenade launcher can lay down devastating patterns of fire with great accuracy.

As for the "turtle suite", I would rather just wear the latest IBA system. The IBA is much better and allows maneuver room. The suit above is just an accident waiting to happen.

As for Shehan and her Code Pink/Stormfront allies, it doesn't matter what we do, she will still cry crocodile tears and be the poster child for leftist stupidity.