Missive

Dear Army,

Unless you can provide "authorized gear" to all the people who need it, perhaps you should let soldiers run the risk of having less-than-ideal body armor instead of banning privately purchased armor.

Of course, some people have a problem with soldiers having body armor.

"I don't think the Army is wrong by doing this, because the Army has to ensure some level of quality," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "They don't want soldiers relying on equipment that is weak or substandard."

Okay so. You're in Iraq. You don't know if that car you're driving by will explode on you or is just an ordinary car. But the first thought in your mind is certainly "Thank God I don't have weak body armor. I am so, so happy my torso is ready to be pierced by shrapnel at any given second." For fuck's sake. Having a coffee can to bail out a sinking ship is better than nothing.

Thankfully, there are some rational voices in the debate.

Murray Neal, chief executive officer of Pinnacle, said he hadn't seen the directive and wants to review it.

"We know of no reason the Army may have to justify this action," Neal said. "On the surface this looks to be another of many attempts by the Army to cover up the billions of dollars spent on ineffective body armor systems which they continue to try quick fixes on, to no avail."

Good God. You're sending actual people overseas to fight in a war. Give them a chance to make it home alive.

Sincerely,
Amy