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CHICAGO,
IL – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chief Deputy Whip, today
issued the following statement after Newsweek
reported “…that perhaps one in four of those killed in combat in
Iraq might be alive if they had had stronger armor around them… Thousands
more who were unprotected have suffered grievous wounds, such as the loss
of limbs.” (Newsweek,
5/3/04)
“A
tragic mistake in planning may have led to hundreds of US soldiers dying
in Iraq, a mistake the President might have cited as he struggled for an
example in his prime time news conference two weeks ago. Now that it appears
that this war was a long time in the planning, it is all the more shocking
that the troops were unnecessarily put at extreme risk. As recently
as last October, it was estimated that one-quarter of the troops were lacking
proper body armor, and, even today, many are in Iraq without proper armored
Humvees,” Schakowsky said.
She
added, “Force protection, traditionally the number one concern of any President,
has been neglected by the Bush Administration. As Commander-in-Chief,
President Bush is failing our troops. American casualties are mounting
in Iraq because soldiers were sent into battle, without lifesaving equipment,
by a President bent on waging a war of choice.”
“The
families of soldiers in Iraq want to know: Where has the money gone? President
Bush has spent almost $200 billion on the war, yet their sons and daughters
were not given the protection they are entitled to before being sent into
Iraq,” Schakowsky concluded.
In
a letter to the editor, which appeared in the Peoria Journal Star on April
24, 2004, a soldier writes from Iraq:
“Let
your readers know …that this unit does not have the extra armor that is
now required for vehicle convoys… Even though we have been here for over
one year, we still don't have the right protection from roadside bombs
or small-arms fire. Our doors are basically just two sides of sheet metal.”
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