Thanks

NYTimes (01.07.06):

"A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor. Such armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials." Pentagon Study Links Fatalities to Body Armor

"For the first time, the study by the military's medical examiner shows the cost in lives from inadequate armor, even as the Pentagon continues to publicly defend its protection of the troops." On the other hand, at least one of the contractors supplying bulletproof vests to some of the troops in Iraq is doing just fine, notwithstanding that the things are having a wee bit of trouble passing safety tests.