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| DOD Briefing: Update on 278th Armouring |
| 2004-12-18 |
| Q Thank you. I was wondering if we should be thinking about the difference between soldiers who are going to be headed into Iraq and Soldiers who are already there. A lot of the concerns about who did and didn't have were from soldiers who were going in, and I didn't -- I personally didn't get a sense of what the people who are already there are using and what their needs and gaps are.            GEN. SPEAKES: Very, very good question. The first point is that you'll recollect that one of the questions was the status of the 278 ACR; in other words, the date that we had the visit by the secretary of Defense, we had a question about their up-armoring status. When the question was asked, 20 vehicles remained to be up-armored at that point. We completed those 20 vehicles in the next day. And so over 800 vehicles from the 278 ACR were up-armored, and they are a part now of their total force that is operating up in Iraq. Q Are there soldiers who are in the sector right now who are scrounging around looking for extra things who aren't comfortable with what's been provided?            GEN. SPEAKES: Ma'am, I don't know the answer to that question. What I think that ought to be clear to every Soldier, is the Army's commitment to make sure that we provide them everything we can. Q On the 278th, can you repeat this? At the time the question was asked, the planted question, the unit had 784 of its 804 vehicles armored? :Clearly a Fox reporter.            GEN. SPEAKES: Here is the overall solution that you see. And what we've had to do is -- the theater had to take care of 830 total vehicles. So this shows you the calculus that was used. Up north in Iraq, they drew 119 up-armored humvees from what we call stay-behind equipment. That is equipment from a force that was already up there. We went ahead and applied 38 add-on armor kits to piece of equipment they deployed over on a ship. They also had down in Kuwait 214 stay- behind equipment pieces that were add-on armor kits. And then over here they had 459 pieces of equipment that were given level-three protection. And so when you put all this together, that comes up with 830. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #7 he can have your beer. You get the virgin mary's :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-18 10:28:20 AM |
| #6 Thanks; I'll pass along the messages-- and encourage him to join the RB gang. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-12-18 10:23:13 AM |
| #5 Take him to the O Club. I'm sure it'll be drinks on the house. Thanks to him from a grateful nation. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-18 10:15:40 AM |
| #4 Here's what he sent me a couple days ago: "I have some news for you: Our commander posted a schedule for what's going to happen in the next two months. It includes everything except for the actual date we are flying home. We're moving into tents on December 28th. Our replacements are getting here on January 1st. They start working on January 8th. Although it doesn't say, I think we will probably leave for Kuwait about two weeks after that, and leave for Ft. Dix a week after that. That means we'll probably get to Ft. Dix around the first couple days of February. I can't wait." I probably won't see much of him when he gets back: he really, REALLY misses his GF. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-12-18 9:56:44 AM |
| #3 How long Dave? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-18 9:48:48 AM |
| #2 God bless your son and return him home safe, Dave |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-18 9:36:43 AM |
| #1 My son is nearing the end of his tour of duty in Iraq, and so far the only shortages he's complained about so far are 1) a shortage of steadfastness amongst the people back home, and 2) a shortage of honesty in the mainstream media and among Democratic Party politicians. Once again, the anti-American media have tried to manufacture a "scandal" where none exists. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-12-18 9:24:22 AM |