OK, this is serious now... damn Iraq War is interfering with my ability to ski... and liberals say there is no sacrifice being asked of the American people... why now, they might have to close a run or two... _________________ Army Wants Howitzers Back From Ski Areas Tue Apr 27, 7:11 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo! By MARTIN GRIFFITH, Associated Press Writer RENO, Nev. - The U.S. military is demanding the return of five howitzers that two Sierra Nevada ski resorts use to prevent avalanches, saying it needs the guns for the fighting in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites). Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain received the artillery pieces on loan from the Army and began using them last year to fire rounds into mountainsides and knock snow loose. But the ski resorts received word earlier this month that the Army's Tank Automotive and Armaments Command at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois needs the howitzers back immediately. "I need to have them back in the troops' hands within 60 to 90 days," said Don Bowen, the Army command's team leader in charge of the howitzers. "It's a very short timeframe to get them serviceable and back into the theater in southwest Asia. Afghanistan-Iraq is the immediate concern." The ski resorts said they will comply. "Given it's a war effort, their needs are greater than ours," said Larry Heywood, Alpine Meadows director of mountain operations. Howitzers are short-barreled cannons that typically are pulled by a vehicle. They fire three to 10 rounds a minute at a range of about five to 10 miles. Replacing a 119-A — the type used at the resorts — would cost around $1 million, Bowen said Tuesday. The military lent two to Alpine Meadows and three to Mammoth Mountain. Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain are the only ski resorts in the nation using the 119-A howitzer, the most modern model available, said Bob Moore, a U.S. Forest Service specialist in Truckee, Calif. Other resorts have older 105 mm howitzers. Pam Murphy, senior vice president at Mammoth Mountain just east of Yosemite National Park, said the military has provided the ski resort with recoilless rifles and other guns for avalanche control for 30 years. The howitzers are the most effective, Murphy said. "It was designed to kill people, but it's a very valuable safety tool for us," said Rachael Woods, a spokeswoman at Lake Tahoe's Alpine Meadows, where seven people were killed in an avalanche in 1982. Resort officials said they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to transport the guns, reimburse the Army for training and build firing platforms. But Murphy said she understood the Army's decision: "We're certainly at a different place in the world than when we first got the guns." The Forest Service said it is working to secure older howitzers for the ski resorts, and the Army's Bowen said he is optimistic that will happen.
They loan these things out?? Like a big ol' military lending library???? And now they're down to their final five?! Better finish off this war before fall or they'll lose that all important ski bum demographic. (we are an all important demographic, aren't we?). This war knows no bounds.
Do you think they'd let me borrow one of those bad boys? It would be great for the afternoon rush hour.
We are short on Howitzers, and Kerry wanted less equipment for the War on Terror?!?...Man we need a build-up!...we need 10 times more production on guns, and 10 times less on butter!
Seriously, I would rather you have to borrower one of those things from Army than being able to purchase them at your local Wal-Mart.
Should I be worried that we are down to our last 5 119-A howitzers or that the ski resort should have no problem acquiring 105 mm howitzers?
Actually Kerry never said that he wanted less equipment for the war. If you are referring to voting no on Bush's 87 billion dollar war funding request that's another issue all together. Kerry merely wanted to fund that money from proposed tax cuts so that the money wouldn't add to our deficit spending any more than it has to. He voted no funding the 87 billion dollars wrecklessly, not funding it at all, which is where the Republicans take the 'I voted for the 87 billion before I voted against it,' quote from. It's great when Kerry's idea is more phiscally responsible, but G.W. Bush wants to use it against him anyway.
