www.madmaxmovies.com

I heard on NPR today that because many humvees in Iraq are totally unarmored, and because of this, soldiers in the army are digging through landfills for scrap metal to do "Mad Max Jobs" to their vehicles.


Some are putting barrel fulls of rocks tied to the sides, others are putting "2nd Doors" on top of their original doors to help protect against fire. Unfortunately more than one person has died due to this since the doors are difficult to open due to their makeshift quality when they've tipped into canals.


The pentagon has categorically refused to produce numbers of soldiers who have died to unarmored cars or lack of small arms fire vests. Many families have been saving up and sending over "2nd life vests" to help protect against small arms fire since the standard issue armor is only shrapnel vests, which don't do much in policing a country.


I'm not in favor of the war, but I don't understand why the Bush Admn. is wasting personnel in such a fashion. Is it cheaper to throw people at the enemy than armor them adequately?


But on a lighter note, these "Mad Max Jobs" sound really cool, anyone have any pictures?

Do they tip into canals before or after the troops have unbalanced them with hundreds of kilos of rock, metal and other hardcore?

Do they use humvees in Iraq?





I thought humvees were a purpose built american urban assult vehicle, used for driving 100 metres down the street to get some donuts and as somewhere to mount your guns and your spare 5,000,000 watt spot lights.

yep.....thats what there used for....but atleast you can cut through offroad areas and yards ...to get to that donut shop and gun store.

So long as you're not driving them in desert conditions! Breakdowns aplenty in Iraq, I heard.

The problem stems not from the vehicles used in assaults, but vehicles used in daily transport. The media confuses this issue. We never ask soldiers to go into battle without proper armor. We supply them with what they need. The rules of engagement have changed . Daily life there now requires armor. Teh lineman who is servicing a tank in a safe compound now needs armor. Something not planned for.


The problem is the enemy will not fight like honorable men. They ran and hid like pussies when the fight began. Now they hide behind women and children as they trigger bombs to kill soldiers, and they call themselves heroes.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6676765/

Without getting into the politics or details of the matter, the top of the line uparmored Humvees are scarce. The supplemental armor kit that can be used as a retrofit helps a lot. But it too is hard to get. In lieu of the kit, crews hang on whatever they can for peace of mind at least. Every little bit helps. This has been going on since WWII.


But we are talking about soft skinned vehicles here. The Humvee was originally designed as a replacement for the Jeep. Not as an armored personnel carrier. The LAV-25 and the new Stryker vehicle are what SHOULD be used for patrolling. But as Ankle pointed out, there is no front line. Supply vehicles and everyday traffic are targets. So you gotta be ready with what you have.


Having said this, I sure hope I get a new Humvee soon. The one I have now rivals my first one I had back in 1990 for age. Luckily, I'm very familiar with the vehicle and its capabilities. I have already told my guys we are gonna modify to our heart's content if need be.


Mitch

your right....anklecranker.

Quote: Originally posted by Anklecranker on 10 December 2004






The rules of engagement have changed .


The problem is the enemy will not fight like honorable men. They ran and hid like pussies when the fight began. Now they hide behind women and children as they trigger bombs to kill soldiers, and they call themselves heroes.

Honestly, I'd defend my country too if it was overtaken by an outside power, using guerrilla tactics, or whatever. They're heros in the same way people here think our soldiers are heros. It just depends on what side you look at it. Iraq is a police state, very far from the democracy that was intenended when the US attacked it, so many citizens probably feel opressed in a whole new fashion (Abu Ghraib for example)[/font], and distrust the puppet government. It is common war tactics to shut down the supply lines of the enemy, so it's kind of hard to say that it was unanticipated. Plus it's been two years since we started the conflict, and yet these unarmored vehicals are still out there. Is our army really that slow to adapt?


I'm not for any kind of war- both sides suck, and both sides believe they're doing the "right thing". Personally I'd rather be going after Bin Laden, since the issue is clear in that case. He attacked us, and he should stand trial for his crimes.

Its just like Vietnam,many soldiers armoured thier trucks or vehicles period or basically custom made fighting vehicles i.e the DC10 with all sh*t removed and replaced with gattling guns and they called it'Puff the magic Dragon'and terrified the dinks.also they made Hercules 5 ton dump trucks that the soldiers called 'hell on wheels'asthey outfitted em with .50 calliber machine guns all the way around the dump bed and armored the exterior and they painted 'ala Road Warrior'skulls and sh*t on the body.In Iraq especially with the Convoy 's its basically straight outta the end scene from The Road Warrior