Extra body armor — the lack of which caused a political storm in the United States — has flooded in to Iraq, but many Marines here promptly stuck it in lockers or under bunks. Too heavy and cumbersome, many say.Marines already carry loads as heavy as 70 pounds when they patrol the dangerous streets in towns and villages in restive Anbar province. The new armor plates, while only about five pounds per set, are not worth carrying for the additional safety they are said to provide, some say.
‘We have to climb over walls and go through windows,’ said Sgt. Justin Shank of Greencastle, Pa. ‘I understand the more armor, the safer you are. But it makes you slower. People don’t understand that this is combat and people are going to die.’