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Weight of Combat Gear Is Taking Toll
washington post ^ | February 1, 2009; A0 | By Ann Scott Tyson

Posted on 01/31/2009 9:44:36 PM PST by Flavius

Carrying heavy combat loads is taking a quiet but serious toll on troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, contributing to injuries that are sidelining them in growing numbers, according to senior military and defense officials.

Rising concern over the muscle and bone injuries -- as well as the hindrance caused by the cumbersome gear as troops maneuver in Afghanistan's mountains -- prompted Army and Marine Corps leaders and commanders to launch initiatives last month that will introduce lighter equipment for some U.S. troops.

As the military prepares to significantly increase the number of troops in Afghanistan -- including sending as many as 20,000 more Marines -- fielding a new, lighter vest and helmet is a top priority, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said recently. "We are going to have to lighten our load," he said, after inspecting possible designs during a visit to the Quantico Marine base.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; gear; iraq; kevlar; miltech; quantico; robots; usmc
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To: NewRomeTacitus

Although they are very keenly power oriented, the worst imaginable military personnel I have ever seen or served around were homosexual. They were power oriented instead of freedom oriented. They associated freedom with criminality and mastered the ability to deceive to advance their personal agendas while hardening their hearts to respecting the integrity of authority.

As long as they advancing in a worldly fashion, homosecuals might appear no different than any other person, but when they lose, they have mastered how to perfomr criminal activity without a conscience and will perform some of the most heinous human acts imaginable.

They are the worst type of person to grant any authority.


21 posted on 02/01/2009 3:18:06 AM PST by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: unkus

For lightness with strength, go to the pro bicycle industry. Cycling enthusiasts shave grams (28 grams = 1 ounce) off their equipment, whether it’s worn or on the bike, because they are all the horsepower they have (lowering weight = raising power).

Titanium and carbon fiber are the two main materials that do the job. They aren’t as expensive as they used to be. When the Soviet Union collapsed, much titanium flooded the market and drastically reduced its cost. Manufacturing a lot with carbon fiber has expanded enough to bring down the cost.


22 posted on 02/01/2009 4:47:48 AM PST by RoadTest (The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jer.17:9)
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To: bikerman

Nope.

http://www.combatreform2.com/atac.htm


23 posted on 02/01/2009 5:20:25 AM PST by myknowledge (Nothing beats Australia's F-22EMA Raptor)
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To: JRandomFreeper
I was referring to extensive hearing loss from jet engines.

I hear you. I have some loss from my time working around wind tunnels -- and there I learned about sound so intense it can render you unconscious in seconds.

24 posted on 02/01/2009 7:46:23 AM PST by sionnsar (IranAzadi|5yst3m 0wn3d-it's N0t Y0ur5(SONY)|http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com/|TaglineSpaceForRent)
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To: NewRomeTacitus

“Ironically the best soldier I served with was a lesbian. She earned my respect by outperforming everyone at everything. As that’s what soldiering is all about I hope she attained her goals. That she hooked up with me as ‘second best’ was an honor in an outfit that had Rangers and Pathfinders.”


Personally in my long life I never saw that woman that could do everything better than a man, and I wouldn’t know where to find her now, not in the biker bars, not in the fire department, and not in the military.

What kind of unit were you in that had Rangers, Pathfinders, and women?


25 posted on 02/01/2009 10:07:06 AM PST by ansel12 ( When a conservative pundit mocks Wasilla, he's mocking conservatism as it's actually lived.)
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To: Gondring

The newer MICH isn’t heavy. Granted, I certainly wouldn’t complain about a lighter helmet, but the MICH was a vast improvement over the old K-pot.

The body armor MUST be lightened. It just has to, period. It certainly has saved a LOT of lives, and I understand that (thankfully not from first-hand experience), but it weighs a ton, it slows you down, and it traps the heat real well.

In this age of nanotech, I can’t believe there’s not a better way.


26 posted on 02/01/2009 10:18:21 AM PST by Future Snake Eater ("Get out of the boat and walk on the water with us!”--Sen. Joe Biden)
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To: Future Snake Eater
Far be it from me to talk about the 'old days', but when I was a 21 year old Marine grunt we still had steel pots, ceramic 'flak' jackets, and steel framed ALICE gear.

Carrying 3 days worth of C-Rats on top of your 'basic' load was no picnic.

In spite of ones best efforts to stay hydrated under some conditions that became almost impossible.

L

27 posted on 02/01/2009 10:25:30 AM PST by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. It's too late for the pebbles to vote.)
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To: Lurker

Oh, don’t get me wrong, what we have now is light years beyond what was issued in the “Old Days,” but make no mistake—there is definitely a LOT of room for improvement!

Some days I do miss my ALICE pack, though. MOLLE gear is pretty cool, but the old ALICE pack was kind of nice... However, I wouldn’t give up my MICH for all the tea in China. That is one of the greatest improvements in military gear since the rifle. Small, light, well padded, well ventilated, secure strapped, easy to remove and don...the MICH does it all!


28 posted on 02/01/2009 10:35:01 AM PST by Future Snake Eater ("Get out of the boat and walk on the water with us!”--Sen. Joe Biden)
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To: ansel12

The woman I spoke of spoke of may have been genetically unique (upper body strength enabled her to do as many push ups as a man). It happens. Regardless, I would rather have her watching my back than any of the National Guard I ETSd with.

What unit had such a diverse membership? One that lost some personnel in Europe due to unusual “training accidents” during the Reagan era.


29 posted on 02/02/2009 3:31:59 AM PST by NewRomeTacitus
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To: NewRomeTacitus

That is another weird post that doesn’t make any sense, why not just tell me the unit that had rangers, pathfinders, and women serving together, and what “ unusual “training accidents” during the Reagan era”?

Which unit was it?


30 posted on 02/02/2009 7:28:11 AM PST by ansel12 ( When a conservative pundit mocks Wasilla, he's mocking conservatism as it's actually lived.)
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