| The Bush administration's claim to support the troops contradicts military officials. |
| The top U.S. commander in Iraq complained to the Pentagon last winter that his supply situation was so poor it threatened Army troops' ability to fight, according to an official document that has surfaced only now.
The lack of key spare parts for gear vital to combat operations, such as tanks and helicopters, was causing problems so severe, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez wrote in a letter to top Army officials, that "I cannot continue to support sustained combat operations with rates this low." He said units were waiting an average of 40 days for critical spare parts, which he noted was almost three times the Army's average. In Army supply depots in Iraq, 40 percent of critical parts were at "zero balance,' meaning they were absent from depot shelves, he said. He also protested in his letter, sent Dec. 4 [2003]…that his soldiers still need protective inserts to upgrade 36,000 sets of body armor but that their deliver twice had been postponed in the month before he was writing. His letter of concern surfaced after repeated statements by President Bush that he is determined to ensure that U.S. troops fighting in Iraq have all they need o execute their missions. "I have pledged, as has the secretary of defense, to give our troops everything that is necessary to complete their mission with the utmost safety," Mr. Bush said in May. He said this month [Oct. 2004] in Manchester, N.H., that, "When America puts our troops in combat, I believe they deserve the best training, the best equipment, the full support of our government." The revelation of Gen. Sanchez's concerns comes as the Army is investigating 18 members of an Army Reserve platoon who refused to drive a dangerous route to deliver supplies in Iraq. The disclosure of Gen. Sanchez' letter also follows recent comments by former ambassador Paul Bremer, Gen. Sanchez's civilian counterpart in running the U.S. occupation of Iraq, that more troops were needed in Iraq and that he'd asked the Bush administration to send them. Source: "General faulted supply situation" by Thomas. E. Ricks - Washington Post via Dallas Morning News - 10/18/04 |
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| And now his budget proposal reduces benefits for veterans. Yes, he really loves those soldiers. | Linda Denton |
2/16/2005 |
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