Topic: The US Military
Each war seems to have some piece of hardware that sticks out more than anything else and becomes synonymous with that war. During the Vietnam War, it was the Huey Helicopter. In the First Gulf War, it was precision guided bombs. For this war, the humvee is the leading candidate.

Regardless of where I travel in Iraq, I see humvees. They are one of the most common vehicles on any military base. The International Zone is filed with them. Most escorted convoys have humvees, and PSD (mercenaries) even use them.

There are about 17 different versions of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or "Hum-Vee"). The humvee can be configured to become a troop carrier, armament carrier, ambulance, TOW missile carrier, or a scout vehicle. It weighs about 5,000 pounds, can race up to 65 miles per hours, and gets a meager 5 miles per gallon.

The most popular version of the humvee in Iraq is the "uparmored humvee." Because the basic humvee is very susceptible to small arms fire and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the military decided to add additional armor to the basic model in an attempt to offer troop more protection. Since the start of the war, the U.S. military has ordered approximately 10,000 uparmored humvees.

When we leave Iraq, I'm sure we will leave tons of things behind, include some humvees. I wonder if the Iraqis will use them or destroy them in an attempt to forget the occupation.