A Place to Talk About War

I would like to hear from soldiers who have been in combat situations, from their families, or from others interested in this conversation. I am a graduate student interested in war rhetoric. I have no preset agenda: I simply want to listen, to learn, and to be supportive.

About Me

Name:
Location: Texas, United States

Married, two kids. Worked in the defense industry for 20 years before taking a different path. I'll be starting my dissertation on the rhetoric of war in a few months. This semester I am teaching Freshman Composition. I DON'T CARE ABOUT BLOGGERS' SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, OR ANY OTHER GRAMMAR MATTERS--I JUST WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Who should decide the armor issue?

I'd like to hear your opinions on the body armor issue for soldiers in Iraq. It's the age-old debate of protection versus mobility, and I'm not going to solve it. But I'm interested in who should get to decide. The Pentagon? the American people? Commanding officer on the ground? Individual soldiers?

I could see making a case that each soldier should get to decide if s/he wants to upgrade to the more protective, heavier armor; on the other hand, soldiers are, in effect, government property (it pains me to say that, but I think it's the general idea), and no officer would let his unit go running around without helmets if they chose.

What do you think?

posted by English Professor | 8:15 AM