Military Repair Depots-No Overtime for War Damaged Equipment

This little gem revealed by a former Colonel yesterday on Lou Dobbs. Oh and Lou, wake up, we on DU have known about the funds for body armor for several years.

COL. THOMAS HAMMES (RET), U.S. MARINE CORPS: I think if we're going to make any success, we've got to get serious about the security forces. We've also got to get serious about providing our own forces the equipment they need. The administration's made a fundamentally immoral decision to not provide equipment to save money. We need to provide equipment.

DOBBS: Say that again.

HAMMES: They made a decision to not provide equipment...

DOBBS: The Bush administration.

HAMMES: ... for American forces and Iraqi forces. We have equipment backed up at repair depots, and repair depots have been told not to work overtime, or at least they are not working overtime. So we have young men and women training to go into a fight with no equipment.

DOBBS: And I just learned today that we have fundraisers going on in this country to provide body armor for our troops. Let me -- the idea that we are sitting here talking about the geopolitical and military aspects of this war at a time we're approaching -- it's now lasted longer than World War II, at a time when we're approaching four years from the invasion date. This is -- this goes beyond geopolitics and military strategy at this point, it seems to me. This is a question of fundamental competence on the part of the U.S. military. Am I wrong?

HAMMES: No, I think you're right. I don't see any excuse that we have not -- if the military can't get the funds for it, then they've got to make that known. And we have to provide for the troops going into the fight.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/27/ldt.01.html