Water rations force some US soldiers to take desperate measures

[sabra]

Source: 11 News Defenders

HOUSTON—It’s something we take for granted every day. From brushing our teeth, to making our coffee, to gulping down a bottle after exercising in Houston’s heat, there’s an abundance at our fingertips.

...

Despite the might of your own country, despite the power of your own military, for extended periods of time you and other soldiers simply can’t get enough drinking water. And even worse, some of you are paying for it with your health.

That’s the story some U.S. soldiers are telling the 11 News Defenders about their time in Iraq. While we’ve spent billions on bullets and bombs, soldiers in different parts of that arid country, during different phases of this desert war, claim they couldn’t get enough drinkable water.

Part of the problem: Many soldiers say they were rationed to just two 1.5 liter bottles a day or about half a gallon of water. Turns out, the Army’s own training manuals say in desert environments, the body can lose up to four gallons a day.

...

Instead of tracking down terrorist suspects, some soldiers recalled taking risky missions to raid civilian contractor water supplies.

But worse, some say because of the shortages, they have developed long-term health problems after returning to the states.

Read more: http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090511_tnt_soldiers-drinking-water.166478bd.html

[CountAllVotes]

1. Bring our troops home NOW Mr. President!

ENOUGH ALREADY OK?

Why should our troops have to be stealing water?

Why should our troops be in Afghanistan where the belief that white phosphorus is being used *again* on its citizens and also our troops?

How much longer must this insanity continue?

This is NOT the kind of change I voted for and I will say it without shame nor fear.

U.S. OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST!!

:kick:

[Grinchie]

2. We give chickens for slaughter more water than this.

How appropriate.

[gratuitous]

3. Oh, you bleeding heart libruls!

They're volunteers! We can treat them any way we want. The country doesn't owe these suckers soldiers anything. Certainly not sufficient water. Where did they think they were going to get posted? Iraq's in the middle of a desert and has been for years. Why didn't they bring water with them? Just a whiny bunch of slackers, that's all!

Love and kisses
101st Chairborne Division
Mom's Basement and
Free Republic

P.S. Ma! Can you bring down more Chee-tos? And a Diet Coke?

[file83]

4. Give Evian a "no-bid contract" so that some Corporation can profit from water sales

and the problem will solve itself. Then the problem would switch to not having enough space to store the over supply of all the fresh spring water.

[bemildred]

5. Well, we certainly don't want war affecting anybodies health. nt

[bushmeister0]

6. As I recall the military used to be able to provide its own water

via tankers to canteens. In the first Gulf War the soldiers complained about their water tasting like oil, so several years later the military developed the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU)filter.

According to globalsecurity.org:

"The Army’s workhorse, the ROWPU produces potable water from a variety of raw water sources such as wells, lakes, seas, lagoons, rivers, oceans and ice holes. Today's modern Army relies on the ROWPU to purify brackish water and salt water. The ROWPU, resembling a large trailer, comes in a variety of sizes and uses a variety of chemicals and membranes to filter and purify water for consumption. The proper use of the ROWPU can provide purified drinking water for thousands of soldiers in a military theater."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/rowpu.htm

In fact it was proven to be very effective in a 2001 training exercise in Egypt.

"The 559th Quartermaster Battalion, which has the only active water purification unit in the Army, provided about 100,000 gallons of water per day for U.S. armed forces taking part in Exercise Bright Star in Egypt last October. The year 2001 marked the first time that U.S. soldiers provided purified drinking water during Bright Star.

Deployment by about 250 soldiers from the 420-soldier unit at Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia not only saved money by eliminating much of the cost of bottled water for the desert exercise, but also provided a test for the Quartermasters. 'It lets us see how we would do in a real-world situation,' said the battalion commander."

http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/qm-update/QM3_Thirsty_US_Soldiers_at_Bright_Star_Welcomed_559th_Quartermasters.html

Yeah but, you know, it's way better to pay zillions to Coke or Pepsi or whoever to provide tens of millions of plastic bottles that sit on pallets because KBR and Halliburton can't provide enough convoy space for ammo and water. Our guys can survive on 1.5 liters a day, right? Sure! War on the cheap, it's the Army you go to war with, not the one you'd prefer.

[truedelphi]

7. There are also personal water filtration bottles - they are pricey - like

$ 16.95 to % 39.95 but you can put water in the bottle, and the filter built into the lid on the top purifies the water. So as you pour it into a cup (or directly into yhour mouth) it can turn river sludge into water.

It is so sad that Halliburton and Kellop Brown and Root, not only made tens of Billions of dollars, but also that they did little that improved the lives of the people serving there.

[bushmeister0]

8. It's criminal, is what it is.

[BeHereNow]

9. Maybe the BFEE will supply some from their Paraguay aquifer?

No wait, we are talking about the BFEE...
Nevermind.
http://www.cco.net/~trufax/general/bush_family_paraguay_hideaway_up.html

BHN

[MetaTrope]

10. "If they're on course, they should be nearing the urine-drinking stage by now" - Blackadder

[Wednesdays]

11. K&R

:kick:

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. HEY! - ya wanna rule the World, ya gotta pay - yup - - with lives. - SUCK IT UP!!

.
.
.

OR

Straighten your government out - get rid of the billionaire elites

BILLIONAIRES - by the dozens, millionaires by the thousands

and your "warriors" don't have decent drinking water?

Houses are empty, while homeless live in tents;

something is VERY wrong in USAmerica,

donchathink ???

:freak:

[jpak]

13. This is a problem that existed since the 2003 invasion

and Bush and Cheney and Rummy and Wolfowitz didn't fix it or care to fix it.

Support the Troops my patootie.

Fucking criminal hypocrites...