thedrifter
05-03-07, 07:09 AM
Saving Soldiers
Ibd
Wed May 2, 7:00 PM ET
Iraq War: In reporting new U.S. casualty figures, the media have once again buried the good news. Fewer GIs are dying of injuries thanks to medical innovations. And new armor's reducing even the number of injuries.
Still, the Washington Post couldn't resist splashing bad news across page one yesterday: "April Toll Highest of '07 for U.S. Troops."
Yes, 104 American service members lost their lives last month in Iraq, making it the sixth-deadliest month since the war began. But the higher count was expected due to the increased patrols that have worked to control sectarian violence in Baghdad.
Troop security is not as grim as the Post paints it. The story failed to cite positive developments.
New battlefield technologies created by private contractors -- both to treat injuries and to protect soldiers from them -- are saving more and more lives.
For one, redesigned armored vehicles are effectively protecting GIs from roadside bombs -- the No. 1 killer in Iraq.
So far, none have died while riding in the new MRAP (mine-resistant, ambush-protected) vehicle. And not a single Marine has been injured, let alone killed, in an IED attack while riding in one.
MRAPs sport additional armor and a V-shaped hull designed to deflect blasts from roadside bombs. The Pentagon plans to order as many as 8,000 more to replace the more vulnerable Humvees.
Problem is, a large chunk of the $8 billion earmarked for their purchase is tied up in squabbling over funding for the Iraq War. Democrats are holding funds hostage to a timetable for withdrawal.
The Pentagon says the improved carriers have cut roadside bomb casualties in Iraq by as much as two-thirds. But there are only 1,100 of them on the battlefront now. "We need the MRAP immediately to give us better protection," asserted Gen. Peter Schoomaker, former Army chief of staff, in recent testimony before Congress.
It's outrageous that lawmakers -- knowing that these vehicles are proven lifesavers -- aren't doing everything they can to help the Pentagon move as many of them into the field as possible.
In the meantime, why aren't they helping the Pentagon fund R&D to design an even better carrier to protect against the enemy's latest weapon -- the EFP, or explosively formed projectile? EFPs are extremely lethal. They hurl a fist-sized lump of molten copper capable of piercing even the MRAP.
The Cassandras of the media also have ignored recent advancements in medical technology that are saving soldiers' lives.
Thanks to new blood-clotting dressings, the share of casualties who died from their injuries fell to 9% by the end of last year, compared with 16% in Vietnam, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
QuikClot, a granular substance favored by the Marines, and HemCon, a bandage developed by the Army and made from a derivative of shrimp shells, are now widely used in the field.
Use of modern nylon tourniquets and a clotting drug called Recombinant Activated Factor VII also are stopping otherwise fatal hemorrhaging.
The waning pool of new recruits makes it even more imperative that we protect the troops we have deployed. Industry plays a critical role in this regard, and we salute them for their efforts.
That said, we know the insurgency won't be put down with such defensive technologies. Better armor won't kill jihadists and suicide bombers. Better intelligence and better offensive tactics will.
Ellie
Ibd
Wed May 2, 7:00 PM ET
Iraq War: In reporting new U.S. casualty figures, the media have once again buried the good news. Fewer GIs are dying of injuries thanks to medical innovations. And new armor's reducing even the number of injuries.
Still, the Washington Post couldn't resist splashing bad news across page one yesterday: "April Toll Highest of '07 for U.S. Troops."
Yes, 104 American service members lost their lives last month in Iraq, making it the sixth-deadliest month since the war began. But the higher count was expected due to the increased patrols that have worked to control sectarian violence in Baghdad.
Troop security is not as grim as the Post paints it. The story failed to cite positive developments.
New battlefield technologies created by private contractors -- both to treat injuries and to protect soldiers from them -- are saving more and more lives.
For one, redesigned armored vehicles are effectively protecting GIs from roadside bombs -- the No. 1 killer in Iraq.
So far, none have died while riding in the new MRAP (mine-resistant, ambush-protected) vehicle. And not a single Marine has been injured, let alone killed, in an IED attack while riding in one.
MRAPs sport additional armor and a V-shaped hull designed to deflect blasts from roadside bombs. The Pentagon plans to order as many as 8,000 more to replace the more vulnerable Humvees.
Problem is, a large chunk of the $8 billion earmarked for their purchase is tied up in squabbling over funding for the Iraq War. Democrats are holding funds hostage to a timetable for withdrawal.
The Pentagon says the improved carriers have cut roadside bomb casualties in Iraq by as much as two-thirds. But there are only 1,100 of them on the battlefront now. "We need the MRAP immediately to give us better protection," asserted Gen. Peter Schoomaker, former Army chief of staff, in recent testimony before Congress.
It's outrageous that lawmakers -- knowing that these vehicles are proven lifesavers -- aren't doing everything they can to help the Pentagon move as many of them into the field as possible.
In the meantime, why aren't they helping the Pentagon fund R&D to design an even better carrier to protect against the enemy's latest weapon -- the EFP, or explosively formed projectile? EFPs are extremely lethal. They hurl a fist-sized lump of molten copper capable of piercing even the MRAP.
The Cassandras of the media also have ignored recent advancements in medical technology that are saving soldiers' lives.
Thanks to new blood-clotting dressings, the share of casualties who died from their injuries fell to 9% by the end of last year, compared with 16% in Vietnam, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
QuikClot, a granular substance favored by the Marines, and HemCon, a bandage developed by the Army and made from a derivative of shrimp shells, are now widely used in the field.
Use of modern nylon tourniquets and a clotting drug called Recombinant Activated Factor VII also are stopping otherwise fatal hemorrhaging.
The waning pool of new recruits makes it even more imperative that we protect the troops we have deployed. Industry plays a critical role in this regard, and we salute them for their efforts.
That said, we know the insurgency won't be put down with such defensive technologies. Better armor won't kill jihadists and suicide bombers. Better intelligence and better offensive tactics will.
Ellie