Posted on 12/07/2002 10:16:35 PM PST by Black Powder
LONDON - British troops training for possible war in Iraq have been forced to wear sneakers because the military is short of boots, a lawmaker said Thursday.
Opposition Conservative Party legislator James Gray said soldiers had told him of the problem when he visited a regiment recently.
"They said to me, 'This is ridiculous. Why can't we get proper boots?'" he said. "They said it was all right if you're a size 1 or a size 12, but if you are 8, 9 or 10, as most people are, then there is a real problem."
"It is simply extraordinary," he said, adding that the soldiers told him they'd been informed they would be sent to Iraq if there was a war there. "We are not talking about jet fighters or tanks. This is the most basic equipment."
Defense Minister Lewis Moonie said in a statement that there had been problems with the supply of combat boots "as a result of production difficulties with the contractors concerned."
"These difficulties have been resolved, and stocks are being replenished," he said. "We do not believe any soldier was without combat assault boots because of these difficulties."
Do the British actually have an army?
A real true friend,would have at least "shared the wealth" with his CLOSEST friend on this earth. TRUE friends, would NEVER let their best buddy (who has almost the SAME job , just a smaller scale working environment version),look like he can't handle HIS job, by letting the soldiers under his command come up short in the boots they need for "work".Geez...all he had to do to help out his "best friend" was just place a larger order...(it wasn't HIS money that he was spendin' to get the boots anyway,so why not help out yer best "bud",too???)
OK Bill...I'm gonna have to start "evaluatin" a little closer, what comes out of yer mouth from NOW ON!!!If you could do that to your "best friend"....it starts to make me wonder what you would do to folks that aren't.....
I wouldn't say that around the families of the British soldiers who were killed by American friendly fire during Desert Storm. Also, I'd reckon the jihadis who were waxed by the SAS in Afghanistan would tell you the Brits do indeed have an Army (well, they'd tell you that if they weren't dead now).
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