This is news that was reported some time ago, but I've been going through a series of trade shows for my business, so writing has taken a back seat. However late, they are worth noting.
Guns, Part One
The General Accounting Office recently reported that almost 200,000 guns, including automatic weapons, that the American military has provided the Iraqi military have gone missing. Further, all hope of tracing these weapons has been lost. This is a staggering, though unsurprising, level of incompetence. You can bet that these weapons will return to kill both Americans and Iraqis. We have failed our troops.
Guns, Part Two
The New Mexico National Guard, like the Guard units of most states, has been rotating troops in and out of Iraq for the duration of the conflict. A recent report noted that the NM units have been training at home with M16 automatic weapons. This is a deadly weapon to be sure, but it is behind the times. Produced for the Vietnam War, it has been replaced by the shorter, lighter M4. It seems, however, that the government has not procured enough M4s for our soldiers. As a result, after training on M16s, the first that our NM Guard troops see of the M4 is using it in field operations after arriving in Iraq. Soldiers indicate, as you might imagine, that it shoots completely differently than does the M16. Learning the in's and out's of a weapon should not take place in hostile -- potentially deadly -- surroundings. We have failed our troops again.
15 August 2007
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