Inside Politics: Rest of the Story [Faked Un-Armored Humvees Story Exposed - FR Credited]

Washington Times ^ | December 21, 2004 | By Greg Pierce

[Jim Robinson]

"The reporter who managed to get a National Guardsman serving in Iraq to question Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld about why his unit's vehicles lacked sufficient armor coached the soldier using false information," NewsMax.com reports.

"In fact, by the time Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts rehearsed Spc. Thomas 'Jerry' Wilson on what to say to Rumsfeld, the Pentagon had already up-armored 97 percent of the vehicles in Thomas' 278th Regimental Combat Team, senior members of the Army's combat systems development and acquisition team said Thursday.

"Further undermining the premise of Pitts' question, orders to up-armor the last 20 of the 278th's 830 vehicles were already in the pipeline when he engineered the bogus inquiry," NewsMax said.

"According to the Maryville, Tenn., Daily Times — a rival to Pitts' paper — Army Maj. Gen. Stephen Speakes and Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson said during last week's Pentagon briefing that routine pre-deployment preparations before proceeding to Iraq included adding protective armor plates to the last 20 vehicles of the Tennessee-based 278th Regimental Combat Team's 830 vehicles.

" 'When the question was asked, 20 vehicles remained to be up-armored at that point,' Gen. Speakes said, in comments completely ignored by the major media.

" 'We completed those 20 vehicles in the next day,' he said. 'In other words, we completed all the armoring within 24 hours of the time the question was asked,' Gen. Speakes added.

"The eye-opening revelations by Gen. Speakes and Gen. Sorenson first gained national exposure on FreeRepublic.com late Friday."

[Glenn]

Excellent!

[MadAnthony1776]

This guardsman forgot one thing. The press is not your friend. When they ask you to do something, they'll tell you what you want to hear to get you to do what they want but they have an ulterior motive. The press suckered this guardsman because he wanted to put Rumsfield on the spot. The MSM is out for no one but themselves and they'll do anything to either get or create the story. Believe me if he'd have tried that crap with me I'd have told him to stick it where the sun don't shine.

[Lurker]

Are you sure Buckhead had nothing to do with this?

Or:

The Pajamahadeen strike again.

L

[GretchenM]

I saw a news item on TV the other day that the soldier claimed, after the brouhaha erupted and rolled around the world a few times, that the news man didn't feed him the question. He said he thought up a few questions and the newsie helped him phrase one of them better (more punch and slap to it, I guess).

So, given how long it took the soldier to come up with this second skimming, I have my doubts as to the veracity of the late report.

[MikefromOhio]

Just personal experience from what I have seen up here, but new Hummers don't come up here unarmored.

When the previous troops came up here, some of them did. Not anymore though.

[johnb838]

I wish they'd get off the case of the kid who shot that muzzie playing possum, and that nobody would speak to this FNG who screwed Rumsfeld for the rest of his tour. He obviously isn't someone you want in a foxhole with you. A punk.

[Gum Shoe]

Many people join the Guard for the benefits. When some of these people were called upon to perform their obligation for receiving those benefits, an obligation many calculated they would never have to meet, it angered them. I'm in the guard, I served in Iraq (in soft skinned vehicles BTW), that's what I saw on occasion. This particular mind set still bothers me a great deal, and this kid who asked Rummy that question reeks of it.

[Jim Robinson]

Ping

[Jim Robinson]

Here is the referenced Maryville, Tenn., Daily Times story posted Friday by Doctor Raoul:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1303927/posts

[Wonder Warthog]

"When they ask you to do something, they'll tell you what you want to hear to get you to do what they want but they have an ulterior motive. The press suckered this guardsman because he wanted to put Rumsfield on the spot. The MSM is out for no one but themselves and they'll do anything to either get or create the story."

Not completely true---certainly the SAM (stone age media) ARE out for themselves, but they are ALSO (and always) out to foster the socialist agenda. They'll forego benefit and in fact will even suffer damage to themselves to foster the leftist agenda (see Rathergate among many examples).

[PJ-Comix]

Great find but when do you sleep, Jim? You found that article in the VERY EARLY AM.

[PJ-Comix]

I wonder if Rush or Sean or Laura Ingraham will talk about this story today? I love hearing them mentioning the FR.

[PJ-Comix]

Keep your ears on the talk radio shows to see if this story is covered.

[Budge]

"The eye-opening revelations by Gen. Speakes and Gen. Sorenson first gained national exposure on FreeRepublic.com late Friday."

FR - first with the news --- again!

[Enterprise]

FreeRepublic - shining the light of truth and making the journalistic cockroaches scatter once more.

[Budge]

Rush already mentioned it, day before yesterday. He read directly from the article, even the part about FR.

[maica]

For more on the back story of the reach of FR ----
A thread was started at 8:41am last Thursday. By 9:16am the text of General Speakes press briefing was posted.
By today almost 6000 readers have seen that particular thread:--
Senator Lott: "Replace Defense Chief Within The Year..." ^

  Posted by rs79bm
On News/Activism ^ 12/16/2004 8:41:33 AM EST · 276 replies · 5,927+ views

Sun Herald ^


Senator Lott: "Replace Defense Chief Within The Year..."
Sun Herald ^

Posted on 12/16/2004 8:41:33 AM EST by rs79bm


comments.

---

To: rs79bm

I HIGHLY advise everyone read, or watch, this complete briefing.

---

Special Defense Department Briefing December 15, 2004

Q On the 278th, can you repeat this? At the time the question was asked, the planted question, the unit had 784 of its 804 vehicles armored?

GEN. SPEAKES: Here is the overall solution that you see. And what we've had to do is -- the theater had to take care of 830 total vehicles. So this shows you the calculus that was used. Up north in Iraq, they drew 119 up-armored humvees from what we call stay-behind equipment. That is equipment from a force that was already up there. We went ahead and applied 38 add-on armor kits to piece of equipment they deployed over on a ship. They also had down in Kuwait 214 stay- behind equipment pieces that were add-on armor kits. And then over here they had 459 pieces of equipment that were given level-three protection. And so when you put all this together, that comes up with 830.

Q At the time of the question -- summarize this, now -- that unit that the kid was complaining about was mostly armored?

GEN. SPEAKES: Yes. In other words, we completed all the armoring within 24 hours of the time the question was asked.

Q So it's possible that -- from these numbers -- it's possible that he had a vehicle that had not been armored that was slated to be armored or that had not been armored that was not supposed to be armored, that would be carried on a heavy truck?

GEN. SPEAKES: Both were very possible. And very frankly, if you live out at one of those camps, the level of chaos and confusion as you're going through the final stages of getting a unit ready to go north -- to me the fact that every soldier in that unit didn't have a picture of this is not surprising. This operation took place over about four different locations, widely separated in various locations across Kuwait. And then, of course, he may not have even understood that a part of the solution was waiting for them up in Iraq because the stay-behind equipment that was up in Iraq that had already been add-on armored was never seen by the soldier until he or she got up north and actually drew it in Iraq. And so it's a complex picture. And the bottom line is right now it was successful. We accomplished the missions that General Schoomaker gave us, and it's frankly something that's very, very important that we continue to do.

Q If he hadn't asked that question, would the up-armoring have been accomplished within 24 hours?

GEN. SPEAKES: Yes. This was already an existing program. Remember that when I began this presentation we talked about General Schoomaker in his testimony in front of the HASC in November -- made it real clear. He said all vehicles operating north of the berm will be up-armored, and what that meant in common-sense language is you don't leave Kuwait without either an up-armor or an add-on armor solution. And we understood that, and most importantly the theater did. And so we were in constant dialogue, ensuring that we provided everything that was required to make this happen. And this didn't happen just for the 278th. In other words, the 256th, which was the Army Guard brigade directly in front of it, had the same identical solution; and although different numbers of vehicles, approximately the same solution in terms of percentage of fill.
51 posted on 12/16/2004 9:16:04 AM EST by OXENinFLA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

---

How many other Freepers, just as I did, fired off a note about this briefing to a favorite talk show host. I read the thread on Friday, sent a note and my 'favorite' local talk show host and he addressed it very early in his next show.

[PJ-Comix]

Great. I must have missed that part. I do remember him mentioning something about the armor but right around that time I had to deal with my girlfriend screaming at me on the phone to get her a bottle of Paloma Picasso.

[prairiebreeze]

Rush already mentioned it, day before yesterday. He read directly from the article, even the part about FR.

Bumpity Bump! (How did I miss hearing that?!)

[OXENinFLA]

I fired off the section of the DoD funding bill where it states the 450 per month bar and the Senate report on the same bill where it states the 450 mark wouldn't be reach until nov-04 to BILL BENNETT's show but I haven't heard him bring that nor this DoD presser up.

[joesbucks]

So shy wasn't that reflected in Sec'y Rumsfeld's response in early Dec to the soldier or by way of follow up while he was in the conference?

If the Sec'y didn't know of the operation, one of his entourage should have chimed in and bailed the boss out. Instead, Sec'y Rumsfeld gave a rather brash response (maybe true, but brash) that made the headlines.

Matter of fact, this story made it's rounds on the talking heads shows, including the conservative ones where the talking points were we go to war with what we have at the moment rather than the problem is largely fixed and the last of it was just done.

Looks like lot's of the administrations PR folks were asleep at the switch and let this one fester to the point where lack of amror is all that will be remembered.

[Budge]

He didn't ccomment on the FR part, but I heard it twice. I don't recall which hour it was in, I was cooking supper at the time, but I replayed it as soon as I could get back to the computer and "rewound" it.

Gawd I love his 24/7!

[OXENinFLA]

Special Defense Department Briefing Wednesday, December 15, 2004 8:03 a.m. EST

And you'd think the press would have covered it on the 15th, the presser was a 8AM!

[In veno, veritas]

BTTT

[Budge]

He didn't comment on the FR part, but I heard it twice. I don't recall which hour it was in, I was cooking supper at the time, but I replayed it as soon as I could get back to the computer and "rewound" it.

Gawd I love his 24/7!

[maica]

It is AMAZING what REPORTERS decide to cover!!!Luckily they are not the gatekeepers that they used to be!

[prairiebreeze]

Gawd I love his 24/7!

That's on my Christmas wish-list. I hope Santa comes through!

[OXENinFLA]

Late Friday Huh? how about early thursday.

Operation Phantom Fury--Day 45-Mop Up Continues; Operation Plymouth Rock

Check these threads daily.

[JimRed]

Big BTTT!

[topher]

I fear -- if a Democrat gets in the Whitehouse -- that there may be major restrictions attempted to be placed on FreeRepublic users -- using the power of Homeland Security. This organization of posters/lurkers probably scares the Democrats [and some Republicans].

[Budge]

I hope Santa comes through!

I hope so too!

[VOYAGER]

"In fact, by the time Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts rehearsed Spc. Thomas 'Jerry' Wilson on what to say to Rumsfeld, the Pentagon had already up-armored 97 percent of the vehicles in Thomas' 278th Regimental Combat Team, senior members of the Army's combat systems development and acquisition team said Thursday.

If this is true and I have no proof that it isn't this reporter(Pitts)is the pits and ought to have his family jewells walked on.

These Rumsfeld haters are using him to get at Bush they couldn't care less about Rumsfeld or the troops they are their means to back stab Bush plain and simple.

This is true of all Bush haters and neither will they rest until they succeed.

A bunch of slimeballs of the America last trash.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Yeppers. My Guard unit was activated for Desert Storm in 1990, and it was amazing how many gung-ho types suddenly came down with old, nagging, back or knee problems. Out of over 100 men in our company, we only lost around 10-15 to this phenomenon, but the rest of the battalion was worse, and the rest of the brigade had similar problems.

Like most of these, I joined the Guard for the benefits, but most of us accepted the fact that we had signed the contract with the knowledge we might get called up. What really astounded me were the two or three who were lifers, including one who was a year away from his 20, throwing away the pension.

[maica]

Thanks for all the refs. LOL!! Too much reading - not enough getting ready for Christmas.

I was not taking credit for spreading the info, just offering the observation that the thread I did see was started on Thursday morning; I saw it on Friday late afternoon (before which time I had not heard one word about the presser on any newscast or show); - about 6000 Freepers have seen that one thread so far, and we won't let the info be buried.

[TheForceOfOne]

1)Liberals would lose every war because they would never be ready enough
2)Never justify it enough
3)Never get enough world consent to defend their selves
4)Never adapt with new funding because they would vote for it before voting against it because instead of providing for the troops they would spend the money building playgrounds in their out of touch world of reality
5)Blame their selves for every attack against us and ask the attacks why we forced them to attack us and how can we appease them so that they will not do it again.
6(Blame Republicans for it and do nothing and be destroyed.
7)In a Liberals eyes freedom is not won it is only a reward for doing what those who wish to destroy you or control you wish which is not freedom it is slavery. 7)The draft would be a reality because they would not send their own to defend us, they would try to force those who already do (red states) but under their dangerous ideology of war and cause our military to become criminals in a world court of law forcing soldiers to go AWAL to avoid persecution for any deemed mistakes during war and/or tie their hands so bad that we incur massive loses.

[q_an_a]

thanks for this story and all you do. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[Doctor Raoul]

The reporter claims he fed the question, reports later in TIME magazine has the soldier saying he was responsible. Of course, that was Berryman (Time) reporting and on Dec 17th, two days after the Army made it clear the unit's vehicles were armored. The TIME report? Well they were pushing a new angle that the unit was denied a bunch a vehicles because there was a unit rotating in in Jult.

If there were news in TIME magazine, I'd buy and read TIME magazine.

[stylin19a]

The reporter who managed to get a National Guardsman serving in Iraq...

I thought he was in Kuwait at the time ?

[talleyman]

B^ump!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Posted now on Free Republic:

Special Defense Department Briefing on Uparmoring HMMWV

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See link above.

[fire_eye]

We should put up a big subbanner on the homepage: "WHERE THE OLD MEDIA GETS ITS NEWS"

[Grampa Dave]

This response to the Rummy Phobia attacks is another great job by the Free Republic. Freepers are seekers of truth while exposing the left wing mediots as liars, spinners and manipulators instead of being journalists.

The Rummy Phobia, we have seen and heard from the mediots, Rinos, Rat Politicians and the Hate GW Trolls on Free Republic is another obvious planned attack on GW. This time the attack came via the Rummy Phobia reactions in the media and the shameless ones here on Free Republic.

[facedown]

bump

[MeekOneGOP]

And you know what? What is the possibility that the reporter KNEW these Humvees were upgraded and the last of them were planned for upgrade, too?

Anything to try to discredit our military, Rumsfeld, and ultimately President Bush.

The media are shameless.

[Happy2BMe]

<

p>

[bray]

If 97% of the vehicles were already armored, he obviously never was sifting through the garbage searching for unbroken glass! Hope this guy likes KP, because the rest of his tour should be cleaning the head with a toothbrush. As for the Propagandist, cigarette and a blindfold comes to mind.

Merry Christmas to Our Troops

[PhilDragoo]

Need to give the reporter and his girl friend some quality time alone, walking point as IED magnets.