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thedrifter
01-13-06, 06:42 AM
Guard armor same as Marines' Pentagon defends quality of gear
January 13, 2006
By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff

Members of the Vermont Army National Guard are issued the same armor that many in Washington are calling inadequate.

A recent Pentagon study found that 80 percent of a sample of U.S. Marines killed in Iraq from upper body wounds would have survived if their body armor offered more protection.

"Those are the same vests our soldiers are being issued," Lt. Veronica Saffo, spokeswoman for the Vermont Guard, said Thursday.

The study looked at the injuries of 93 Marines killed in combat, finding that 74 of them could have survived if the ceramic plating in the front and back of the armor extended to the sides. Since the findings were reported, some in the Senate have called for hearings on the armor's deficiency.

Pentagon officials have responded that the armor is always evolving and designers need to balance the extent of protection against an infantry soldier's needs for mobility — comments Saffo echoed.

"The bottom line is that this vest has been improved several times since it was introduced and it's getting better and better," she said. "Right now, this vest is the top of the line. Before our Vermonters left the States, (Vermont Adjutant Gen. Martha) Rainville made sure that's what they had — the best there is."

Last year, Master Sgt. Chris Chapin of Proctor was killed when a sniper shot him through his armor's arm hole in what military officials called "a lucky shot." Saffo said she did not know whether improved armor would have made any difference for Chapin.

"One of the things that is important to recognize is that none of us are omnipotent," she said. "I'm not in a position to speculate as to whether a change in the armor would have done a thing. What I can say is he was well-equipped. He had the best equipment available to soldiers at the time. "

Saffo said Chapin faced the same dangers all soldiers knowingly face.

"Being in a combat zone is dangerous," she said. "Irregardless of the equipment situation, when it's your time, it's your time. Unfortunately, there's a price to war and sometimes that price is loss of life."

Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.

Ellie