One of the Kos Klones opined yesterday: Daily Kos: Study: Hundreds of Marines Could Have Been Saved By Extra Body Armor.

Please, dear God: set the bureaucratic bungling aside. Streamline whatever is going on. I don’t give a rat’s ass how much these things cost - as much as I hate the war, please … hit me up with some taxes so these soldiers will survive.

What a godawful nightmare. Damn it! Support the troops, you asshats! This is criminal!

But the soldiers actually fighting in Iraq don’t seem to agree: U.S. Soldiers Question Use of More Armor.

BEIJI, Iraq - U.S. soldiers in the field were not all supportive of a Pentagon study that found improved body armor saves lives, with some troops arguing Saturday that more armor would hinder combat effectiveness.

The unreleased study examined 93 fatal wounds to Marines from the start of the Iraq war in March 2003 through June 2005. It concluded 74 of them were bullet or shrapnel wounds to shoulders or torso areas unprotected by traditional ceramic armor plating.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade “Rakkasans” are required to wear an array of protective clothing they refer to as their “happy gear,” ranging from Kevlar drapes over their shoulders and sides, to knee pads and fire-resistant uniforms.

But many soldiers say they feel encumbered by the weight and restricted by fabric that does not move as they do. They frequently joke as they strap on their equipment before a patrol, and express relief when they return and peel it off.

Second Lt. Josh Suthoff, 23, of Jefferson City, Mo., said he already sacrifices enough movement when he wears the equipment. More armor would only increase his chances of getting killed, he said.

“You can slap body armor on all you want, but it’s not going to help anything. When it’s your time, it’s your time,” said Suthoff, a platoon leader in the brigade’s 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment. “I’d go out with less body armor if I could.”