Combat Outpost Penetrated in Afghanistan, 9 dead

[Cole]

Really? Rumsfeld telling the truth is dangerous?

Personally, I hate to actually experience a political and military leadership too cowardly to allow soldiers to dump their "modern body armor" and force them to stay in their MRAPs/M-ATVs. I'd prefer winning, which you cannot do if you are married to Michelin man suits and your vehicle the size of a three story building.

So you would prefer not to improve HMMWVs with additional armor and future chimneys? There's no value in getting farther from the COP in a M-ATV or JLTV that is survivable? Getting out of the vehicle is another matter entirely unrelated to the need for survivable vehicles against major current (and future) battlefield killers. If you get to the patrolling area before exerting yourself excessively walking there, seems to me you have more energy to go farther and stay more alert during the patrol. You also cover a larger patrolling area and have a vehicle to carry your supplies.

At 6 gallons of water per Soldier per day, how much weight would Soldiers at Wanat have carried if they had "patrolled" to COP Kahler instead of driving there? They also would have been carrying two .50 cal machine guns and tripods, two 40mm grenade launchers, and two mortar systems, plus an LRAS3.

I'm assuming you have no idea what you are talking about, here. The armor weighs the same, though it's more effective. And every time something gets made lighter, military morons in the leadership use that occasion to find something worthless to add to the soldiers' load.

Cowardice on the part of leaders and risk aversion is not how you win a war, COIN or not.

I'd choose greater casualties and a will to do what it takes to succeed over better body armor 7 days a week.

Military cooling vests already are available to include for Soldiers, dogs, and military pilots. Nobody used body armor in Vietnam because it was heavier back then or unavailable and they did not have cooling vest technology. If a vest can be made around 2 pounds and the Army spends more for body armor 2 pound lighter, my peabrain head calculator indicates no increase in Soldier load.

Casualties not experienced are casualties that don't take several to all troop's attention away from the patrol, yes?

Have less than fond memories of an incident where I was training Soldiers in MOPP IV conducting a road march and a Soldier experienced a heat injury...in springtime Germany. Of course I was the bad guy.

Bottom line. Just because guys like you and me are in reasonable shape does not mean today's 18-30 year old is. Get them in shape, sure. But physiology and body heat remain a concern in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and elsewhere no matter your condition.

Some day I'll tell you all about the study I volunteered for where they sent us out flying after being injected with atropine in varying quantities...and what that does to your body temperature and how they measure it.