Ill equipped and badly let down

That's because Humves were not meant to be front line combat vehicles they were meant for troops transport and rear work.
Now that they are being used in in an Urban Environment, the Humves are being upgraded to newer ones sure I would like it o go faster but It probably will.
And get out? Yeah when things get a little better we should get out.

Since when do general officers go out on patrols? And WHY would a general get twice as many rounds as a soldier? Hmm....

And yes, lieutenants and other junior officers are notoriously bad leaders in any army. In some cases, they lose IQ points when they get promoted until by the time they make Captain, they're complete retards. NCOs taking up officer slack? Nothing new there... (Sorry Westpoint)

I think it has something to do with the fact that NCOs and lower enlisted hate officers, and so the officers try to make up for that by being 'nice guy'. Many officers fall into that trap. That works fine in garrison, but when it comes time for a 2LT to issue a command in battle, no one wants to hear it.

It is really unfortunate that soldiers are being sent on patrols with less than a minimum combat load, but there may be other conditions present. It could very well be that the area where they are patrolling are largely secure, and expected to remain so. No excuse for not giving a soldier every advantage, but look, sometimes times get tough. Sometimes you just don't have what you need. You think every soldier was sent to the front with full combat loads in every previous war? Think again. WWII was extremely bad conditions logistically. So was Vietnam.

That's why soldiers are taught to be resourceful, to improvise, adapt, and overcome. To be extremely flexible to changing conditions and missions.

But still, its too bad we don't have access to that perfect world. The soldiers will accomplish their missions, the units will achieve the objective, and the commander's intent will be realized, regardless.