http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060112/...raq_body_armor

This article irritated me so much, but the wife is asleep so I have to vent on here. Of course more body armor will make the troops more impervious to bullets/frags. In case they didn't realize the typical soldier is already walking around with 50-60 lbs of gear all of the extra weight does come with a cost, lower mobility, quicker exhaustion. Both of these items can lead to an easier target to shoot. I guess the Dems are realizing they can't win the argument with "we are just wasting American lives," so their changing the weight of the troops to make them slower, less effective, and esier targets.

 

I read this somewhere else and had the same feeling as you. They need to spend the money and get a better lighter armor for our men and women out there rather than making them a walking tin can target.

 

At only 3.5 more pounds, I think I would ask the soldiers first how they felt about the extra protection and weight before I assumed that this is 3.5 more pounds to burden the soldier!
I wear my tactical vest 12-14 hours a shift and although it gets a little heavy, I would rather have it than not. I could always take some of my goodies out of the pockets, but sure as I do, I'll need it on my next encounter... Back when we wore our vest inside the shirt, I hated it. Felt twice as heavy and cumbersome. Now that it's on the outside, it offers a chance to easily remove it and take a real break. Hopefully, we never go back to in-the-shirt...
The soldiers eat, sleep, and fight in their vest. After a while, it probably becomes one with the soldier. 3.5 pounds won't be noticable IMO. After a year of combat, they probably feel awkward without the vest on.

 

after wearing tac armour for a few days you forget it is even there, for more protection i wouldnt mind 3.5 pounds more weight, wearing the vest with sappy plates( metal plates that go in the front and back of armour) throut gaurd and croch protection and a helmet it is not that coumbersome at all, i am for more armour, 2 tours in iraq firts time i got hit by shrapnel from a IED(improvised explosive device) in my back and i didnt even know about it till i took the armour off, i think more armour is a good thing and will save live it has saved the lives of alot of my freinds already

SGT Cuda U.S.M.C.
Semper Fi

 

That's eactly what they're thinking 1Depd. They're like; I have an idea; let's kill more soldiers; that'll teach the Republicans. Get real man.

 

I'm just glad the pinheads on the HILL are getting stuff to our brothers in the sand.

I hate when THEY put politics ahead of the big picture... Getting our guys home safe.

AIM HIGH, fellas.

 

Yes I've worn the Ranger vest for the 16 hours shifts along with all of the extra crap that goes with it. All I can say is a glass can always take another drop of water....until it can't. What's another 7 lbs? Yes I've been in a 45 minute running firefight. Man I'm glad I was light that day (only about 40 lbs of stuff), we didn't have Ranger vests then. I was still worn out by the time it was all said and done.

Craz3d and Urbancowboy--Call it my distrust of the federal gov't. I do think the Senators and Representatives play politics in areas they shouldn't. That is both sides of the aisle. This time it just happens to be the Democrats who are attempting to gain power and make the Republicans look bad at any cost. As much as the people in Congress want you to believe they care, the reality is they don't. It is about power, theirs. They have it and they want to keep it and if possible expand it.

 

it is not the politicians who want this, it is the troops in the feild the comanders of the feild troops take casualtys and the have to fill out a report then the genarels figure out what could have saved this troop, they figure that if he had more protection he could have survived then they task the research department to find a solution, that department finds a solution and it goes up the chain of comand for funding all the politician does is sighn off on the funding
also modern combat is not much of a running firefight any more, it is run get a position call in arty or air suport to blow enemy up then walk in and cleanse area, or it is house to house searching were you wont have to run far, also if we are doing house to house raids then we only wear body armour and extra ammo, because all the gear we dont need is in the HMMWV, so we are not wearing all that much, i for one am for another 7 pounds of body armour if it will save my life, wouldnt you wear 7 pounds more armour to save your life?