In the rear with the gear

One day, the NY Times is writing about the big-screen TVs soldiers have at bigger U.S. bases.

The next day, they write about how terrible it is that many of the troops still don't have the most advanced body armor.

They quote all sorts of people acknowledging it's a huge problem.

I see a discrepancy here. No, I'm not suggesting money from retail sales can go to Kevlar, although that's a possibility.

It's this: many of the military personnel in Iraq are relatively safe. They don't leave their base to go on patrols.

From the Times:

"We had no idea conditions were going to be this great!" said Lieutenant Deaton, 25, the public affairs officer of the 256th Brigade Combat Team and an ambassador of the exclamation mark. "My first thought was, oh my God! This is good!"

First of all, clever barb about "ambassador of exclamation mark." Haha.

Second, and more relevant, she's in public affairs! Of course they're living large. They chill, and tell reporters that things are going fine. That's her job.

The rear-area personnel, often called POGs (stands for Personnel Other than Grunts, rhymes with rogues), are driving forklifts and working on computers. They're not doing room-by-room searches of Iraqi apartment buildings.

They're not even taking vehicles down dangerous Iraqi roads.

I was glad that the article about luxurious bases did acknowledge many soldiers don't live that way. Here's a segment:

Not that life is this comfortable for everyone. Small outposts in the rural hinterlands can be crude, at best, with nothing beyond the very basic amenities and soldiers required to wear their full "battle rattle" - body armor and helmet - all day because insurgent attacks are so frequent.

And for those soldiers whose jobs require them to leave base, there is no escape from the cruel realities of war in Iraq.

Wrapped in body armor and the ubiquitous threat of death, they choke on dust and heat and make do with Meals Ready to Eat. On long combat missions, they may go weeks without a shower and sleep wherever they can: on the ground, in empty buildings, in their cramped vehicles.

Hell yeah, that's what I am talking about.

But back to how not every soldier in Iraq has the best flak jackets, or the ceramic inserts to put in them...

It would be political suicide for any politician to come out against more body armor. And with a defense budget so huge, you'd think they'd find a way.

But there are some personnel who are in a lot less danger than others.