Armor From Home
Amid Shortage of Gear, Some U.S. Soldiers Must Equip Themselves
By Keith Garvin
W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 7 — Pene Palifka, a proud and protective mother, worries about her son, Billy, a specialist with the National Guard deployed in Iraq. She reads his letters home almost daily.
"I just can't wait for him to come home," she said. "We'll celebrate that day."
Concerned about her son's safety, Palifka recently spent $1,100 of her own money on armored chest plates to protect him and others from enemy fire.
"[By] purchasing something for my son, then that means hopefully somewhere down the line somebody else that's overseas will have adequate equipment," Pene Palifka said.
It's become an almost routine practice for deploying troops and their families.
Despite efforts to produce more vests with the armored plates, the Pentagon says there still aren't enough, especially among guardsmen and reservists. All troops rotating out of Iraq are now being required to leave their vests behind so incoming troops can use them.
‘We … Buy It Ourselves’
Many active-duty troops also are spending money on other equipment.
One group of Marines due to leave for Iraq bought goggles, backpacks, magazine pouches and gloves. It's better than their issued equipment, they said, and worth their hard-earned cash.
"They gave us the stuff that we need, but we need more as well," Marine Sgt. Nick Medina told ABCNEWS last month. "So we go ahead and buy it ourselves."
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has introduced a bill calling for the government to repay the families of troops who buy their own gear.
"It's time to step up and do the right thing and reimburse all those individuals, who because of the care and concern that they have for our men and women overseas, their loved ones have gone into their pocket to assist them," Larson said.
Whether she gets reimbursed or not, Pene Palifka says the price she paid for her peace of mind was worth it.
abcnews.go.com |
