Demand body armor for our troops in Iraq
Submitted by Wes Clark on January 11, 2006 - 5:17pm.
Call to Action
The Bush Administration has not provided our troops with the body armor they need to protect themselves. It's been three years, and now hundreds of thousands of brave American service men and women have risked their lives in Iraq -- with many paying the ultimate price.
This is unconscionable. This is incompetent. This is neglecting our soldiers' needs in war. It is time for Congress to act.
An internal government report recently obtained by the New York Times and published in an article this past weekend confirms that "80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor."
The Times report continued, noting that "such armor has been available since 2003," but the Pentagon declined to supply it to the troops despite "calls from the field for additional protection."
More than 1700 American troops have died during combat. And according to the Times analysis, as many as 300 deaths could have been prevented if our soldiers were equipped with the right kind of body armor -- armor that costs as little as $260 per set.
We must demand that this Administration pay the costs to ensure our troops get what they need to be effective and secure in their conduct of the mission. This is not about dollars and cents, but about our values as a nation.
President Bush continues to attack critics of the war effort as "unpatriotic" -- but I refuse to stay silent. The war in Iraq was a strategic blunder from the very beginning. And the Administration's handling of the war has only gone downhill from there.
This study is just the latest example of the Bush Administration's appalling disregard for the welfare and safety of our troops. President Bush's rhetoric doesn't match the actions of his Administration, and unnecessary combat fatalities are the result.
Clearly, Congressional investigation is warranted. When were the needs for additional protection first expressed? Who knew what and when, and why weren't necessary steps taken?
The American people deserve no less than full accountability and assurances that going forward our troops will not face unnecessary risks or danger caused by lack of resources, oversight, or commitment from Washington.
Join me in calling on Congress to investigate this critical matter. Our brave men and women in uniform deserve so much better from this Administration, and that's why we must speak out.
Sincerely,
Wes
P.S. I'll be sending our letter to Senators Warner and Levin next Wednesday -- please join me by co-signing our letter today!
Of course..and again, thanks for speaking out on this important issue and thanks for all you continue to do for this country.
for speaking out on this vital issue.
And thanks once again for all you are doing.
George Bush has had his day and he's bollixed it up.
I regret the need for you to write this letter & organize this call to action to urge the Bu$h Administration to invest in fundamental, common sense cart-before-the-horse measures to protect our troops after the fact, after putting our good men & women in uniform so gratuitously in harm's way.
But I'm thrilled to see you do this. Thank you.
the minute this article broke in the NYT that you would be the first to step up to the plate demanding accountability, swinging wildly for your troops.
You never disappoint.
Just signed and sent to 15 others to sign, whom I'm sure will send to 15 others...and so on.
Thank you for guarding the guards while no one else is.
when I read that NY Times article. I will sign and send it on. Thanks for organizing this.
Just out of curiousity, can the poor quality body armor be traced back to the guy who just threw his daughter a $10 million bat mitzvah?
The internal Pentagon study estimated that about 300 Marines and Army troops could have been saved with proper body armor. So they paid a high price for her party.
It's likely that these defense contractors, like DHB Industries, are Bush Cronies. On PBS today, a retired Lt Col. spoke on behalf of Veterans For Common Sense, regarding the issue of better body armor. He wore what his insider sources at the Pentagon indicated were a superior body armor vest, which are produced by Pinnacle Armor Vests,.. also called the "Dragon Skin". He argues that these vests may have offered the best protection against the type of fatal injuries sustained by our troops who currently wear vests with ceramic inserts that shatter after the first hit and offer no side body protection coverage. The guests described differences, +'s and -'s, of each, however, it was quite apparent that the Dragon Skin would've offered the type of protection for those soldiers who died from the current issue armor vests.
But, I guess instead of focussing on designing and issueing the best body armor to protect our soldiers, their execs probably should've lobbied members the GOP-led Congress with more free golf trips, luncheons, dinners, campaign contributions, and .... more bar mitvahs(?)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Debate, Dialogue, Discussion, Disagreement - that's not wrong -that's not unpatriotic, that's one of the highest forms of patriotism and love of country, and we need to say it!" - Gen. Wesley Clark (US Ret.)
The other guest (Col.?) who also appeared said that the current issue (under $contract) has been modified 5X since the start of the war, and relies on ceramic inserts for extra protection. Unfortunately, it adds enormous weight and reduces mobility, unlike the Dragon Skin.
vested time with the military, protecting our nation and our democracy, and you know better than most that our soldiers deserve much better treatment than this administration has given. So much for "compassionate conservativism!"
I signed it early and sent your petition around.
Many thanks!!!
answered, Sir!
Thank you for taking action on this General that we can be involved in.
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
and thank you for your efforts.
we don't support the troops?
They talk the talk, but they sure don't walk the walk. You have parents buying body armor for their kids, and you've got guys putting scrap metal on their Hummers. Ridiculous.
Signed and sent.
Uh, just an aside to all. Me thinks the general is angry.
This letter has teeth bared and eyes focused.
I don't think this will be just a Hillary-like posturing statement for the cameras.
I have a feeling that when the general gets his dander up, one should best not be on the business end of it.
Go get em Wes.
Thank God the troops have someone like you putting out the effort to see to their best interests.
The Ed Schultz Show would be a great way to get this out...
If I'm not mistaken, Wes also took the time to go & visit the plant in personally in Coatesville, PA where some of this armor is made, in Sept. or Oct. 2004.
Don't believe Rummy or Bush did.
It been almost 2 years,.. and yet President Bush and the GOP-led Congress still fail to appropriate the best protective equipment to our troops!
Text of Wesley Clark's Democratic Radio Address to the Nation
5/8/2004 11:08:00 AM
To: National DeskWASHINGTON, May 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a transcript of Wesley Clark's Democratic radio address to the nation:
This week the world has been shocked and angered, and America's moral leadership undercut, by the terrible pictures of a small number of our US military people abusing Iraqi prisoners.
The President acknowledged that these acts were 'stains on our honor'. He's apologized. Rightly so.
But apologies are not enough. These criminal acts of abuse must be investigated fully and those responsible held accountable under law. We must fix our training and procedures so this cannot happen again. Amends must be made to Iraqis who suffered these humiliations through real and symbolic gestures, such as the dismantling of Abu Ghraib prison itself.
The issues go to the very heart of the American mission in Iraq. For, by our own claims, we are different: we don't torture, or maim, or coerce. We came to liberate, not to occupy. We came to 'free' and not to imprison. If the mission was endangered by the prospect of using heavy force against insurgents in Fallujah and Najaf, it is no less endangered by the loss of credibility caused by our own misconduct. This is a mission in trouble.
My thoughts go to our soldiers, Marines and their families. They are serving courageously., and well. And at great cost. Over 700 have died, more than 4.000 have been wounded. And just this week, the Administration announced that it must keep 135,000 troops in Iraq through 2005. This means repetitive tours, family separations, more fears that one's husband, or wife, or child, won't make it safely home.
We owe the men and women in the Armed Forces a tremendous debt of gratitude. And we owe them the proper equipment - armored vest, armored vehicles, and radios - so they can do the job safely. Yet, more than a year after the President sent them to battle, they still don't have this equipment. Some 200 lives might have been spared had they had the protective gear and armored equipment that the mission requires. 200 Lives. This is inexcusable. The Bush Administration should have addressed this issue long ago and must do so immediately.
President Bush took us to war exaggerating hyped intelligence, without an imminent threat to our country. He took us to war before all diplomatic options were exhausted, before our allies were on board, and before we had a realistic plan or adequate ground forces to deal with what happened after we reached Baghdad. And all of this was a distraction from our pursuit of Osama bin Laden.
The truth is President Bush made mistake after mistake as Commander-in-Chief, taking us into a war we didn't have to wage, alone and under false pretenses and is now managing it poorly.
Now the mission is in danger as the self-imposed June 30th deadline approaches. To prevent Iraq from becoming a failed state that breeds new terrorists, America must change course. Enough of the unilateralism and over reliance on the military. We must bring in our allies, give them a seat at the table and together create an international organization to provide economic and political assistance to the Iraqi. The US must not bear so much of the burden. We are unlikely to succeed if we continue to do so.
With new American leadership we can gain real help from our NATO allies - and from countries in the region. With their help, we can create the conditions for free and fair elections, transition to a secure and free Iraq, and bring home much of our military.
My fellow Americans. This is an election year. It is our duty to use the power of the vote and hold accountable our President. We need new leadership in America to keep us safe at home, and to regain respect for America abroad.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Debate, Dialogue, Discussion, Disagreement - that's not wrong -that's not unpatriotic, that's one of the highest forms of patriotism and love of country, and we need to say it!" - Gen. Wesley Clark (US Ret.)
(and bush is so FAR BEHIND THE CURVE, he's riding the wave.)
leadership vs. arrogance, let's see..... I'll take leadership
thank you GC
THANK YOU, GENERAL!
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism. ~George Washington