Some Marines Declining Extra Body Armor

[cal04]

Extra body armor — the lack of which caused a political storm in the United States — has flooded in to
Iraq, but many Marines here promptly stuck it in lockers or under bunks. Too heavy and cumbersome, many say.
Marines already carry loads as heavy as 70 pounds when they patrol the dangerous streets in towns and villages in restive Anbar province. The new armor plates, while only about five pounds per set, are not worth carrying for the additional safety they are said to provide, some say.

"We have to climb over walls and go through windows," said Sgt. Justin Shank of Greencastle, Pa. "I understand the more armor, the safer you are. But it makes you slower. People don't understand that this is combat and people are going to die." Staff Sgt. Thomas Bain of Buffalo, N.Y., shared concerns about the extra pounds.

"Before you know it, they're going to get us injured because we're hauling too much weight and don't have enough mobility to maneuver in a fight from house to house," said Bain, who is assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. "I think we're starting to go overboard on the armor."

Since the insurgency erupted in Iraq, the Pentagon has been criticized for supplying insufficient armor for Humvees and too few bulletproof vests. In one remarkable incident, soldiers publicly confronted Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld about the problem on live television. Hometown groups across the United States have since raised money to send extra armor to troops, and the Pentagon, under congressional pressure, launched a program last October to reimburse troops who had purchased armor with their own money.

more
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060326/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_unused_armor

[babylonsister]

1. Is this the 'good news' story of the day? I wonder if anyone,

like NASA, has considered developing lighter armor?

[monktonman]

2. something smells fishy about this story

[BrainRants]

5. Agreed. Setup for the "We gave them armor, they don't want it" line?

I smell a rat too.

[deutsey]

8. Well, how about armor for vehicles?

What, does that weigh them down too, and diminish their fuel efficiency?

[annabanana]

3. Does anyone else remember "dragon skin" armour..

or some such name. It was preferred because it was lighter & flexible as well as effective? IIRC, soldiers were not being allowed to wear it even if it had been purchased for them privately.. Does anyone else remember this story?

[TheDebbieDee]

6. Yes, I do remember this story......

It made the rounds in November, I think. The story goes that Generals were telling the soldiers that their families could be denied payment of the soldier's life insurance if they were killed while wearing the unauthorized "Dragon-Skin" armour.....even though it was judged to be more effective thatn the armour the military currently purchases.

Also, the guy that owns the company from which the military purchases their armour, the same company that was having problems producing enough armour for the military's deployment needs, was reported to have given his daughter a multi-million dollar birthday party.

I'll check Google for the name of this schmuck and his company!

[Kingshakabobo]

7. David H. Brooks, CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB Industries.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/4/45712/6071

:hi:

[TheDebbieDee]

9. Thanks, Kingshakabobo..........

I was having a helluva time Googling for this info.

But I did find out that LOTS of people get multi-million dollar birthday parties.

[Kingshakabobo]

10. All I could remember was "Defense contractor debutante" and it worked LOL

[sakabatou]

4. Plate armor is very combersom

but that's just plate armor. Doesn't mention any other armor.