Field rations are falling short in fueling troops
From the Philedelphia Enquirer
Excerpt: When Lt. Dave Moore visited infantry units in the remote, rugged mountains of Afghanistan late last year, the Navy medical officer was surprised to hear from many soldiers and Marines that they had lost significant weight.
After interviewing more than 150 medics, officers and troops on the ground, Moore concluded that the portable rations called "meals ready to eat" (MREs) - long derided by troops, but valued by the Pentagon for their indestructibility - were not doing the job, causing the soldiers to shed pounds that they very much needed.

"The standard meal ready to eat does not provide adequate nutrition for dismounted operations in this type of terrain," Moore wrote in his report. "Many Marines and soldiers lost 20 to 40 pounds of body weight during their deployment. At least one soldier was evacuated due to malnutrition and a 60-pound weight loss." More

Labels: afghanistan, pentagon, troops

4 Canadian Soldiers Killed By American Friendly Fire
From the Guardian UK.
Excerpt: "Four Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan last night after a US fighter jet mistakenly dropped one or two 500lb, laser-guided bombs on their unit.
Canadian officials said at least eight of their soldiers were wounded in the incident, which occurred during a well publicised live-fire training exercise near the southern town of Kandahar.

Navy commander Frank Merriman, spokesman for US central command in Tampa, Florida, confirmed that an air national guard F-16 dropped the bomb or bombs, but he had no idea what had caused the error."

Labels: afghanistan, Canada