Posted on 04/19/2003 6:04:07 PM PDT by Servant of the Nine
The army is investigating the death of a British soldier shot in Iraq after claims by colleagues that he had not been issued with the correct body armour.
Sergeant Steven Roberts, 33, a tank commander with the Desert Rats, was shot in the chest during a riot near Zubayr, near Basra, on March 23. He was the first British soldier to be killed in action in the Iraq conflict.
During the build-up to the invasion, many British soldiers had complained about kit shortages. A number told reporters that they had flak jackets but had not been given the ceramic plates that protect the back and chest.
The Army's investigation will seek to establish whether Sgt Roberts had been issued with a bullet-proof chest plate and whether one could have saved his life.
"Sgt Roberts should have been issued with enhanced body armour," a spokesman for the Army said last night. "We're trying to establish if he had it and chose not to use it or whether it was not made available to him.
"There have been problems with the supply of some equipment, and the flow of desert combat gear has been too slow. Nothing will be swept under the carpet. If mistakes were made that led to his death, we'll want to make sure they don't happen again."
The spokesman added: "We are expecting answers to the most important questions in a few days and his family will be the first to be informed."
During the campaign, one lieutenant-colonel - who was also deployed near Zubayr - told a reporter from The Telegraph that he had no protective plates for his flak jacket. The officer, who did not wish to be identified, opened a pocket of his flak jacket to reveal a medical kit and morphine. "We don't all get ceramic plates," he said.
Sgt Roberts, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, married his second wife, Samantha, a year ago. He came from Cornwall and had a child from his first marriage. At the time of his death, he and his wife were living in Shipley, West Yorkshire.
Just after her husband's death, Sam Roberts said: "We loved each other deeply - he is irreplaceable. Steve's whole future lay within the Army. It was his life and he was very proud of his job."
His stepfather, Malcolm Chapman, said the family was anxious to hear the outcome of the inquiry. "Sam was told about the investigation two days ago," he said. "I can't say anything else at the moment."
He believed that the investigation would look at why his stepson was not wearing the right equipment.
Friends of Sgt Roberts said he had complained about the standard of equipment. One friend in Cornwall said: "He knew that the Americans were better paid and better prepared. He said this to me before he left for Iraq."
The Sunday Telegraph has been told that Sgt Roberts's colleagues had complained about the availability and standard of equipment before and after his death. Soldiers in his regiment were concerned that gas masks were out of date and they were not issued with desert camouflage uniforms or boots.
All soldiers in combat zones are under strict orders to make sure their flak jackets are fitted with the ceramic plates. Failure to do so is usually a punishable offence.
Although a flak jacket without ceramic plates may stop shell splinters, it offers little protection against bullets.
If the investigators - from the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police - find that he was not wearing ceramic plates, they will want to know whether it was the fault of him or his unit, or because the Ministry of Defence did not buy enough armour to cover all soldiers on operational duty.
Sgt Roberts's funeral will be on Wednesday in Harrogate.
If there is a shortage of boots, a man can fight in tennies, but this is as vital as ammo.
So9
This time, but everyone needs to hear the lesson to keep it from happening to ours.
So9
I'd bet that those billions of pounds spent of social welfare & social engineering in the UK took priority over the military eh?
Troops from the U.K. are among the very best in the world. But their leaders seem to have cronic problems getting adequate gear to their troops -- even the most basic items like boots and rifles.
The U.S. public would never stand for this sort of problem with our troops. I wonder why this is such a long-standing problem with our friends in the U.K.
I'm convinced the American manistream news media use the term "bullet-proof", so that in the event a cop's body armor is penetrated, they can raise the hue and cry, "Why, these bullets are so powerful, they can even penetrate a bullet-proof vest! They must be banned! Think of the chillrun!"
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.