Saturday, November 1, 2008

Motorcycles Are More Dangerous To Marines Than Insurgents


Marine Motorcycle Deaths Top Their
Iraq Combat Fatalities -- CNN

QUANTICO, Virginia (CNN) -- Motorcycle accidents have killed more Marines in the past 12 months than enemy fire in Iraq, a rate that's so alarming, it has prompted top brass to call a meeting to address the issue, officials say.

Twenty-five Marines have died in motorcycle crashes since November -- all but one of them involving sport bikes that can reach speeds of well over 100 mph, according to Marine officials. In that same period, 20 Marines have been killed in action in Iraq.

The 25 deaths are the highest motorcycle death toll ever for the Marine Corps.

Gen. James Amos, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, told CNN that commanders are trying to drill down on what "we need to do to help our Marines survive on these sport bikes."

Read more .....

My Comment: In the past 20 years, my next door neighbor (a former SEAL in Vietnam) was killed in a motorcycle accident, and my girlfriend's brother was killed on his bike. This article hits very close to home.

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