Iraq death spurs push for Humvee armor (Man Lost His Son)

[matcom]

<snip>

In the days before his death, Private First Class John D. Hart called his father to tell him how unsafe he felt riding around Iraq in a Humvee that lacked bulletproof shielding or even metal doors.

It would be the last conversation Brian T. Hart would have with his 20-year-old son. On Oct. 18 near Kirkuk, Saddam Hussein loyalists ambushed his son's Army convoy, killing two. A hail of bullets felled the Bedford High School graduate while he fought from his Humvee.

"When he died, all his ammunition had been spent," the unit commander wrote in a letter to Hart's parents. "Your son gave everything he had for the safety of others. . . . As a commander, I struggle to find words that adequately capture the depth to which we honor Private First Class Hart."

For Brian Hart, a 44-year-old Bedford businessman, his only son's last words have come to haunt him, especially after learning that other families who lost loved ones in Humvee attacks had complained to the Pentagon about the lack of armor in vehicles.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/03/08/iraq_death_spurs_push_for_humvee_armor/

[Tim4319]

1. Only if his son was doing something more important.

If he were accepting kickbacks with Haliburton and not fighting for his life, would he have been allowed to ride in an armor plated Humvee!

[Robb]

2. 650+ other fathers

of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan feel similarly.

Some mothers too, probably.

[Mari333]

3. My phone bill was over 500 dollars calling Congress all day

about this, for weeks, about the lack of adequate doors for the Humvees..I got the runaround all the time from everyone
So they put up the crossing gates after the kid gets hit by a train, so to speak
another thing Kerry needs to pound into peoples heads
BUSH DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE TROOPS
never has, none of them do.
fatcats sitting in the WH swilling brandy and checking their stocks and short term profits while our kids stand over there this illegal fraudulent bloodbath for a bunch of blackhearted CEOs to make money.
I never thought I could hate any group of people as much as I truly hate the BFEE and the GOP.

[alcuno]

6. Mari, There is a 1-800 number for Congress.

It's not well-publicized. It's 1-800-648-3516. This is the switchboard. Just tell them whose office you want and they'll connect you.

[jbfam4]

4. Rush to war

"They, in turn, began to contact Army officials about the Humvee armor and why more units did not have it. At a Senate hearing in November, Brownlee, the acting secretary of the Army, said the service had ordered as many up-armored vehicles as its contractors could produce, but that it would take until mid-2005 to deliver them."


So the rush to war had to do with politics. Bush wanted a nice tidy war and a democracy in Iraq all set up before the Nov. elections.

How can Bush say he supported the troops when he sent them to war unprepared. Not enough vests or armored vehicles. If this isn't a war crime, what is?
People need to wake up. This was an immoral war of choice.

[Mari333]

5. yep and he sent kids over there from the guards and reserves

just kids, some of them , like my stepson, who have scoliosis of the spine, some sent back with PTSD, many sent are ill either physically or psychologically
spread them thin, and put them in there with no protection
add to that the benefits they lost , military families, and the loss of overtime..
they have screwed over the military families and used our kids for cannon fodder..for their own profit making.
and wheres the Outrage?

[jean]

8. Mari, can you find some media outlet to get this info to? It's vital

[Solly Mack]

9. Trent Gegax from Newsweek might want to hear your story

"Gegax, Trent" <[e-mail]>

T. Trent Gegax
Newsweek correspondent
c.917.592.1686
w.212.445.4409
[e-mail]

He emailed me a few months ago about a story on the reserves/ng..and their treatment/problems during the Iraqi deployments. It might help to email/call him...to keep the story going as America is being told troops are coming home so all must be better (when it's not)

Mr. Gegax was doing a piece on the Reserves/NG at the time. Maybe your story can be sort of a continuing story/follow-up.

Anything to keep the people aware of just how bad it still is....

[jean]

7. bush has passed the blame along to the companies

producing the armor - not just for humvees but body armor as well.

The admin said, lamely, a few months ago these companies just couldn't keep up with the demand.

This is just the bush way of life: Do whatever you want, have someone else pay for it, ruin everything and let someone else fix it.