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Sure, maybe it was inflammatory of me to make that generalization about the yellow ribbon magnets (made in China).
It's been my personal experience that these are the most likely, and far and away most vocal people who question my patriotism and my position on this war's devotion to country and military.
Then I see this and I think, wtf? How can I be questioned in the face of this?
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Forgive me if I missed it. But I dont see anyone questioning your patriotism. I salute you for your dontation to the VFW, it shows depth of character not shown by a few members on the forum (a certain troll who will remain un-named).
I'm split. Yes the armor should have been in place. I saw on CNN that September (6-some months post-invasion) the Marines ordered 28k of these vests. However for reasons unspecified only 2k were delivered. This may be a company problem, or a simple bill that was stalled somehow in congress to allow the funding.
However the Sherman example holds true. Speed in combat is one of the most powerful weapons the American military weilds. I imagine it was a Colonel or General decided that the lack of mobility would be more detrimental to a soldier than more protection. It's easy to see as in an open battlefield standing combat (where the vest would give most effectiveness) is only done in very short bursts when advancing (under heavy covering fire). Since the armor gives very little protection to the shoulders, in a prone position it would more or less simply weigh down and bulk up the soldier.
HOWEVER, knowing they would be going into urban fighting the armor should have been in place.