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Kuwait Kot Kollapse Krisis
2004-02-24
It’s become an all-too-familiar pratfall here at Camp New York. Tired soldier loaded with gear plops down on his cot after a long day of training. Crash! He lands on the floor with an embarrassed thud, while his buddies laugh themselves stupid.
Some things never change, the Roman Legions would have done the same.
“They’re junk, that’s all they are,” griped Pfc. Jonathan Bell, 20, of the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, whose cot collapsed under his 205-pound bulk. “The legs just cave.” The cot casualties are mounting. Spc. Shaun Smith, 27, of Atlanta, a supply clerk with the Georgia National Guard’s 277th Maintenance Company, estimated more than 500 have been turned in for replacements in the past week. That doesn’t count many more collapsed cots that soldiers still are using, propped up with boxes or their own rucksacks.
Obviously, this demands a congressional investigation! I nominate Ted Kennedy to chair the committee, he’s spent more time falling on the floor than anyone else.
The collapsing cots do not respect rank. Lt. Col. David Hubner, the Task Force 1-77 commander who stands 6-foot-4, broke one. Capt. Jason Goodfriend, 6-3 and 235 pounds, has crunched two. In most places, soldiers are using standard Army-issue khaki cots. They aren’t pretty, but they’re strong. But Camp New York’s come from a private contractor in Kuwait. The brightly colored blue and green cots fold up simply and come in easy-to-carry bags. They are made in China and carry the Saudi brand name Al-Sanidi. They look more suited for weekend camping than the rigors of Army life.
A Saudi cot from China? That’s what happens when you go for the low bidder, should have gone for the Mark VII Haliburton Cot.
I prefer the Bechtel Airsprawl™, myself...
“They aren’t built for soldiers. They’re built for civilians,” Smith said. For soldiers, cots aren’t only beds. They also serve as chair, sofa, dining table and dresser. “This is one of the few times you cherish the good ol’ Army stuff,” said Staff Sgt. Donald Ulbright, 42, of Pana, Ill. Camp New York’s supply staff has issued new cots to replace broken ones. They are beginning to hand out the familiar khaki ones again. “I’m glad I have a real Army cot,” said Goodfriend, 26, of Flemington, N.J. “It just goes to show, the Army knows how to make stuff.”
Built to last, not for looks. Wouldn’t surprise me if their fathers slept on the same cots being issued.
Soldiers are hoping when they head north to Iraq soon, they’ll leave behind the newfangled cots. “I’d rather sleep on the floor,” said Bell, of Franklinton, La. “This is the worst camping trip I’ve ever been on.”
If a soldier ain’t bitching about something, they aren’t happy.
Posted by:Steve

#1  Sounds like a job for the bed down czar.
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-2-24 1:36:10 PM  

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