Picking up the Torch for Col. David Hackworth

My valiant, wonderful husband, Colonel David (Hack) Hackworth, one of America’s greatest heroes and most valor-decorated soldiers, died in my arms two years ago this past May (Editor's note:  This was written by Col. Hackworth's wife three years ago on the second anniversary of his death).  During the last weeks ...

Severe Clear debuts in NY

Severe Clear, a documentary based primarily on footage shot by Marine First Lt. Mike Scotti on his Mini-DV, shows Marines in combat during the early days of combat in Iraq in 2003, opened today in New York City. Severe Clear, which I have not seen, was reviewed today in the New ...

DOD Body Armor Testers Ignore Protocols

In previous news articles for SFTT, I had reported on the rather cavalier ("incompetent"  or "negligent" might be better words) treatment given to body armor testing by the DOD and the US Army.  When in doubt (and there should be no doubt when lives are at stake!), these body armor testers ...

Flawed Army Test Procedures for Body Armor

I had previously reported that the GAO had found that the Army's practice of incorrectly rounding down back-face deformations ("BFD") would have caused two body armor designs that passed First Article Testing to "have failed if the measurements had not been rounded."   This is just one of many testing anomalies  ...

Flawed Body Armor Tests: “Rounding” Measurements

The October, 2009 Government Accountability Office ("GAO") report to Congress, entitled "Independent Expert Assessment of Army Body Armor Test Results and Procedures Needed Before Fielding,"  confirms deviations from approved US Army testing protocols, "the majority of which seem to make the testing easier to pass and favor the vendors . . ."   ...

GAO Report Slams Body Armor Test Procedures

The October, 2009 Government Accountability Office ("GAO") Report to Congressional Requesters, titled "Independent Expert Assessment of Army Body Armor Test Results and Procedures Needed Before Fielding," contains this devastating observation: "Due to these deviations [from approved testing protocols], the majority of which seem to make the testing easier to pass ...

SFTT Website Now Live

After several months of redesign, the SFTT website is now back online to spread the message that we can all help to ensure that America’s frontline troops get the best available individual protective equipment and combat gear.  Soldiers for the Truth (“SFTT”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Educational Foundation founded by the late Col. David ...

Honoring my father, Col. Lowell E. May (USAF)

As a small child, I remember sitting down with my father leafing through a scrapbook of pictures that he had taken in North Africa during WWII. While the scrapbook was sadly lost in a fire, I vividly recall that many photos of his fellow B-26 Martin Marauder pilots and crewmen ...

Remembering P.F.C. Theartis Watts, Jr., (USMC)

Theartis Watts was an 18-year old rifleman in my Marine infantry platoon in Viet Nam in 1968. He was a big-city kid from Philadelphia with an incredible knack for finding delicious Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to augment our C-rations, and he had one of the most brilliant smiles I've ever ...

Levin, McCain Request Review of Body Armor Systems

By Roger Charles President's Note: Well, folks, sometimes things move much faster in Washington than experience would lead one to expect. This happened Monday and yesterday (May 21 and 22) when Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. John McCain, Chairman and Ranking Minority Member respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee ...

Webb & Clinton Call For Investigation Into The Effectiveness Of Body Armor Issued To Our Troops

Washington, DC – In light of recent media reports suggesting that a particular body armor system may offer better protection than the system currently being used by our service members, Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) — both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee — today ...

Army 4-Star (Ret): Dragon Skin “Significantly Better” Than Interceptor In First-Ever Comparative Test (Conducted By NBC News)

President's Note: Tonight, May 17, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams has aired their first piece dealing with the body armor controversy. Tomorrow morning, Today will air a piece, and Sunday night, Dateline NBC will air a longer piece, with much more detail about the comparative test NBC News conducted ...