March 2003 and later: US Soldiers in Iraq Forced to Retrofit Armored Vehicles on Their Own

US military units in the Gulf, as well as those in the US preparing for deployment, contract local welders and steel fabricators to retrofit their light-armored vehicles with makeshift armor known as “Hillbilly,” or “Haji,” armor. [MSNBC, 4/15/2003; Washington Post, 12/26/2003; Daily Press, 9/26/2004]