RE: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,160460,00.html

Still beats sand bags on the floor of your deuce and a half. There's just no way to eliminate death from war.

IED's will always be an issue as long as we keep driving on the roads that they plant them on.

I've been saying this for years now.

The MRAP is an extremely expensive alternative to getting the heck out.

Further, it was not procured in an open bid process rather in another ""awarded contract" . This is another attempt to line the pockets of this administration's pals BEFORE the next administration pulls the plug on the gravy train !

Sorry, I'm normally not a cynic but enough is enough.

There has been and will always be casualties of war.... the American people can decide for themselves by their VOTE whether we continue in this Iraq business !

Regardless, at some point, this nation cannot afford these types of extremely expensive, technological marvels ? ? ?

Do you have any idea or concept of what $ 500,000 dollars will buy or $ 1,000,000.... that's six (6) zeroes ! These guys want 1200 more , for what ? Their only use/application is there in Iraq.... when we leave, what are we gonna do, leave them for the Iraqis to use them as taxis ? I can't see a great need for them on the streets of Tampa, FL., nor Des Moines, IA.

The bad guys get intel too. They are starting to figure out ways to beat the MRAP. As stated in prior notes. A deuce and half hardened with sandbags does not compare with riding in the MRAP. If the MRAP saves one life. It is money well spent.

quote:

Originally posted by Petey_the_dog:
Still beats sand bags on the floor of your deuce and a half. There's just no way to eliminate death from war.

Two good points to ponder.

But had we not spent so much time babysitting a Civil War which we caused, in a nation we invaded and on faulty information and outright lies? Then we may not have needed them at all, and a lot of people would not now be permanently disabled, or dead.

I sincerely hope it has been worth all that we have lost. I guess the moral of this story is that we should eliminate wars that we do not need to wage.

I agree Seabee. Anything beats putting our troops into Harms way in a Hummer. People need to remember that Mine Resistant doesn't mean Mine-proof. When you detonate a 155mm shell buried in or near a road, I don't care is you are in a tank, when your number is up...it is up.

We should be buying these for our soldiers! No matter the cost...when was the last time the Humvee was replaced? I'm sorry, some would have us riding camels, our troops deserve modern technology!So what if a contract was awarded...that means someone has a job!

every solider cant be protected 100% of the time- take a look at the jeeps from wwII pretty much death traps, but they were glad to have them. now people ***** if every single vehicle in iraq is not mrap style or massivly up-armored. The US has to have many,many vehicles to haul troops around in- we cant afford to make them all IED proof. theyre are going to be varing levels of armor. I am sure we have all seen the videos of some of those IED's even a mrap would be destroyed in some of them. We will always need hummers/deuces and 5 tons.

quote:

Originally posted by blueghost26:
Their [MRAP] only use/application is there in Iraq.... when we leave, what are we gonna do, leave them for the Iraqis to use them as taxis ? I can't see a great need for them on the streets of Tampa, FL., nor Des Moines, IA.

blueghost: I don't what gives you the idea that we plan on just abandoning all these vehicles. Yeah, I'm sure we will leave a portion of them to the new Iraqi army and police. But they can and will be used in other places. Maybe right here if we don't do a better job of securing our borders, and putting a FULL (100%)moratorium on all imigrants.

I can't believe you or others would think that we will just leave all our military hardware behind when we leave.

Hey boots99,

WHO is going to PAY for it ? Yeah, it sounds noble to write those words... but though not well thought out !

Sorry... whether we want to admit it or not, there is a limit to how much we can afford to spend on keeping a soldier alive. That is the casualties of war thing I mentioned earlier ! When you sign on the dotted line there is no guarantee promised or implied that a soldier will survive.

I looked back... there wasn't one on mine !

quote:

Cleatus45

You are closer to right than the others.

We always leave "hardware" behind... there was a jeep in every carport in Vietnam. No fuel, no parts but lots and lots of wheeled vehicles.

quote:

Originally posted by blueghost26:
Hey boots99,

WHO is going to PAY for it ? Yeah, it sounds noble to write those words... but though not well thought out !

Sorry... whether we want to admit it or not, there is a limit to how much we can afford to spend on keeping a soldier alive. That is the casualties of war thing I mentioned earlier ! When you sign on the dotted line there is no guarantee promised or implied that a soldier will survive.

I looked back... there wasn't one on mine !

We are going to pay for it. I can think af no better way to spend the money. I would wrather have MRAPs for men and women laying down thier lives then throw the money away to a welfare state that shows no signs of progress or decrease. Get rid of the Govt. handouts, and get our soldiers some armor!

quote:

Originally posted by boots99:
We should be buying these for our soldiers! No matter the cost...when was the last time the Humvee was replaced? I'm sorry, some would have us riding camels, our troops deserve modern technology!So what if a contract was awarded...that means someone has a job!

SO where exactlly is this money tree you keep thinking the gov has?????
500k to 1 mil for one vehicle??? and you want to replce the hummer with this. obviously you have never seen one...

Somone else will have a better truck and they will roll off the line.And maybe they could use these in some places in the US?All in all this war is expensive and it looks like we will stay there awhile lets hope they do save lives.

Why such a big deal over a death in an MRAP. To me it is the same as any death in this War. Don't demean this soldiers death by highlightening the fact that it was in an MRAP. If the IED is big enough it will take out anything that we put over there. A lot of people thought that MRAP was going to be the savior to protecting our warfighters from IEDs. All it means is bigger and better IEDs to take the MRAPs out. What grand and glorious savior will the politicans come up with to be better than the MRAP. Guess that we will put more armor on them and then we will have more maintenance problems and they will go the way of the humvee.

We are paying for those trucks hope they do save lives.Yes more work not to foget that alot are now working two jobs wich is a necessety in this time!!

I am waiting for the people wanting "up-armor" kits for the mraps



....oh yea...its called a f-ing TANK.

its hard argue against a vehicle designed to save lives but it seems to me the MRAP was designed just for this theater of war. what tactical value does this vehicle have in a conventional war. Its not a troop/cargo transport there's no armament. Does this mean we are spend millions on a white elephant?

quote:

Originally posted by Cleatus45:

quote:

Originally posted by boots99:
We should be buying these for our soldiers! No matter the cost...when was the last time the Humvee was replaced? I'm sorry, some would have us riding camels, our troops deserve modern technology!So what if a contract was awarded...that means someone has a job!

SO where exactlly is this money tree you keep thinking the gov has?????
500k to 1 mil for one vehicle??? and you want to replce the hummer with this. obviously you have never seen one...

Don't act like the Govt. is poor or lacking in funds. It has plenty of funds, but all of it goes to pork barrel spending. All that needs to bee accomplished is a prioritizing of the budget, just like you me and everyone else with an income has to do. Though this may sound simple, when you are trudging through the bog of beurocracy things are not done easily. The only thing the Govt. needs to do is to live within the means that "WE THE PEOPLE" give it. I am tired of paying for things that the Govt. Has no buisness paying for, while it baulks about having to pay for things it constitutionally has to pay for, IE border security, national defense. IMO we need to stop paying for people to sit on their A$$E$ or to come here illegally and pay for their children to go to school, and start protecting the greatest generation, this generation that is going to war, dying, and in general are some of the bravest most caring souls I have ever had the pleasure to serve with.

TAKE A SIDE, THE ONLY THING YOU GET FROM FENCE SITTING IS A SORE A$$HOLE