Posted on 02/18/2009 3:22:32 PM PST by Jim Robinson
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — May 11, 2005 in Iraq was just one of the many days in the past that proved why Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles are necessary for marine forces.
Aaron Mankin, who was a Marine combat correspondent at the time, would probably agree after his experience that day when an improvised explosive device destroyed the 26-ton amphibious assault vehicle he was in.
The blast inflicted second- and third-degree burns over 25 percent of then-Lance Cpl. Mankin’s body, also permanently damaging his lungs after he inhaled the heat, flames and debris. He has since undergone about 40 surgeries. Sadly, the six other Marines he was with died in the blast.
The Marine Corps Times reported in September 2008 that roadside bombs remained the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq. Data from the Pentagon showed that 70 percent of the then-4,151 troop deaths were caused by roadside bombs.
IEDs still remain the weapon of choice in both Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JEIDDO), which was created by the Department of Defense in February 2006 to counter the threat of IEDs.
The MRAP is meant to protect service members from the violent, deadly blasts of IEDs like the one that changed Mankin’s life forever and killed six others. The armored vehicles feature V-shaped hulls to deflect any explosive forces originating from below the vehicle, protecting both the vehicle and the passengers.
“They’ve taken hits – many, many hits that would have killed soldiers and Marines in up-armored Humvees,” Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a June 2008 interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at marines.mil:80 ...
I hope the MRAP continues to save these lives. The weight, size, and manuverability is still a problem, IMHO. the ceramic part of the armor is lighter than previous stuff, but still very heavy.
Blackwater has developed a version that addresses some of these problems.
Whoops! Blackwater Xe has developed a version that addresses some of these problems.
bttt
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