Bush: Soldiers’ equipment gripes heard

To colleagues’ cheers, soldier complained about armor to Rumsfeld
NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 8:15 p.m. ET Dec. 9, 2004

WASHINGTON - Saying U.S. soldiers in Iraq “deserve the best,” President Bush emphasized Thursday that the administration was addressing equipment concerns like the one about armored vehicles raised by a soldier who questioned Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

'“The concerns expressed are being addressed, and that is we expect our troops to have the best possible equipment,” the president said in response to a reporter’s question at the White House.

“If I were a soldier overseas wanting to defend my country, I’d want to ask the secretary of defense the same question, and that is, ‘Are we getting the best we can get us?’”

U.S. soldiers “deserve the best,” Bush said, adding: “I’ve told many family I’ve met with, ‘We’re doing everything we possibly can to protect your loved ones.’”

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