In yet another CLOSE HOLD story entitled “‘King for a Day’ Kit-Wise,”  a veteran military writer describes some of the major military logistics problems faced by “grunts” in the killing fields of Afghanistan.    With Afghanistan’s inhospitable terrain and stretched supply lines, our troops are expected to carry increasingly heavy loads because they have no certainty that they can be supported in a timely manner.  Found below is an excerpt of “‘King for Day’ Kit-Wise.”

“From 2005 until this past spring US forces have had a short stock of gear that could be tailored to reduce the load because of the then current design never matched mission requirements. There was never a concerted effort by either leadership or by extension the defense industry to produce and outfit troops with the lighter, better equipment necessary for extreme conditions found in this little valley of death. If anything the Army and Marines only added more weight to the grunt’s kit. In other words: ‘more protection is better,’ ‘we must protect the deltoids,’ ‘we can’t resupply you as often because are helicopter resupply is limited, so you have to carry more,’ ‘Hey, hand these items out to the locals and win their hearts and minds…yeah we know the items are heavy, but figure it out.’ The on-the-ground commanders made the best of a grim situation and soldiered on, taking unnecessary casualties along the way.'”

To read more on the difficult logistics issues facting US troops in Afghanistan, read on . . .