MRAPs Do the Job

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protective Vehicle saw its first combat death last week when a huge deep-buried IED went off beneath one of the new vehicles.

But the MRAP's troop compartment wasn't compromised - the man killed was the gunner, who was standing out the top of the vehicle at the time.

So far, though many MRAPs have been hit with the deadly roadside bombs, none has penetrated the compartment where the troops ride. Let's keep praying to that end.

In the meantime, the military has taken delivery of over 1,500 of the behemoth, $600,000 vehicles. I rode in several of them during my recent embed with the troops, and everyone I asked likes the vehicle, mostly because it's more roomy inside.

I wonder, though what we'll use them for when Iraq is over - they are pretty much designed for ONLY this type of war - one of attrition where the IED is the primary weapon.

To me, they kind of look like a star wars monster truck with a testosterone factor that is off the charts. But manliness notwithstanding, the vehicles really do the job they were made for.and there are over three thousand more on order.  Watch the video here.

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