03-Apr-03

You have probably noticed in newsreels of the Vietnam War, US troops rarely appear in their original-issue equipment, as we typically see in World War II newsreels. Very often a Vietnam War soldier is stripped down to only boots, pants, T-shirt and bandanna, and carrying only a canteen, rifle and ammunition. Maybe not even the canteen.

Studies show that when troops come under fire, they immediately shed everything except water, rifle and ammunition, so that they can be highly agile, and present as small a target as possible.

So, the amount of original-issue equipment soldiers carry is a measure of their desperation. Fully equipped soldiers are not under great stress. Stripped-down soldiers may be under fire or afraid of coming under fire at any moment.

If a politician or general says everything is going well, but you begin to see a lot of soldiers stripped down to bare essentials, you are being lied to.