Letters to the Editor
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Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
May 24, 2007
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On war, weapons and shields
Dear Editor,
I first want to express my
thanks to the sons of both Joyce Holman and Kristi Nicholls for their
service to our nation during its most trying time of this generation. I
empathize with the feelings expressed in their letters of May 8th and
10th. I am both awed and respectful of Sgt. Holman's spirit and would
love to hear first-hand the feelings of Ms. Nicholls' son, as I am
always wary of making judgments based on second-hand information.
As
a parent, soldier, and a veteran of the current conflicts, I want to
word this carefully out of respect for the anxiety and trepidation of
these parents.
Personal body armor is designed for protection
against small arms fire, and all soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have
it. This means that they have the ballistic plates, otherwise it is not
armor, but merely a fabric vest. In some cases, the enhanced plates are
not issued until troops reach staging areas near Iraq, as it makes
distribution more effective. This was not the case in 2003-4, and some
troops bought armor at personal expense for which reimbursement has
been offered. Personally procured body armor is no longer authorized to
prevent the use of inferior and defective body armor, to include Dragon
Skin.
Losing soldiers to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is
preventable, but not through technological means as Ms. Nicholls
states. All HUMMWVs that travel the roads of Iraq are armored, some
more heavily than others; but as the armor increases, so does the
lethality of IEDs. While prudence demands the use of armor against
smaller, more easily-identified threats, bombs that leave
swimming-pool-sized holes will defeat not only the best-armored
HUMMWVs, but Strykers and tanks as well.
The race between better weapons and better shields will always be won by the weapon. See both www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/jungle-law.htm and http://bdelapla.typepad.com/firepowerforward.
The
key to prevention lies in avoidance. That solution is ultimately
political, and the responsibility for its implementation lies with all
of us.
Brian Delaplane
Mehlingen, Germany
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