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COMMENTARY

Ex-NASCAR worker no expert on Iraq war

By Andrew Staiano

U.S. Army captain

In response to the June 11 article "Deadly price paid for Humvee armor used to protect soldiers": Far from an official report, as the label "Special Report" suggested, the authors cited comments from a former employee of Delphi Corp. named Scott Badenoch, a vehicle-dynamics expert who formerly worked with NASCAR. Badenoch stated his belief that up-armored HMMWVs (M1114s) are killing dozens of soldiers. He went so far as to say, "I believe the up-armoring has caused more deaths than it has saved."

The reader would assume that this so-called expert's beliefs are correct, right? Wrong! Badenoch might know a lot about vehicle rollovers, but he obviously hasn't been paying attention to the war in Iraq. While a number of soldiers have died due to rollovers, thousands have been saved by the armor protection provided by M1114s. When you compare the small number of vehicle accidents to the hundreds of IED attacks a month in Iraq, you realize that it is absurd to make a statement that the M1114 might be killing more soldiers than it's saving. I challenge Badenoch to ride down the street in Ramadi in a soft-skinned HMMWV, which he deems so much safer than the up-armored M1114.

The article went on to cite emotional comments from grieving parents. The authors failed to mention that the Army has addressed the rollover issue with a new gunner-restraint system to replace the old gunner's sling and an intensive training program that includes a full-scale rollover simulator. Considering these facts, the headline of this article could have just as easily read "Up-armored HMMWVs save thousands of soldiers, and Army is making them safer." Unfortunately for soldiers and families, it didn't read this way.

This article exemplifies a brand of sensationalist reporting without checking up on the facts that is irresponsible. At best this headline will cause undue worry to families, and at worst it will put soldiers' lives in danger by diverting precious funding to address an irrelevant issue. In the future, the Dayton Daily News should do a little more checking into facts before publishing startling headlines backed by ridiculous beliefs and one-sided data.

Andrew Staiano is a U.S. Army captain stationed in Buehring, Kuwait.