Soldiers rebuff armor study

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2006/Jan/20060108News009.asp

U.S. soldiers in the field were not all supportive of a Pentagon study that found improved body armor saves lives, with some troops arguing yesterday that more armor would hinder combat effectiveness.

The unreleased study examined 93 fatal wounds to Marines from the start of the Iraq war in March 2003 through June 2005. It concluded 74 of them were bullet or shrapnel wounds to shoulders or torso areas unprotected by traditional ceramic armor plating.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade "Rakkasans" are required to wear an array of protective clothing they refer to as their "happy gear," ranging from Kevlar drapes over their shoulders and sides to knee pads and fire-resistant uniforms.

But many soldiers say they feel encumbered by the weight and restricted by fabric that does not move as they do. They frequently joke as they strap on their equipment before a patrol and express relief when they return and peel it off.

unfortunately we can't take a poll of the all dead soldiers.

i'm sure they wouldn't have wanted the extra armor, though.

Of course they don't want to wear it. They're the meanest, leanest, fight'nist mofuhs in the desert. Unit morale and the hoops your psyche has to jump through to generate "courage" require that they maintain an aggressive, devil-may-care attitude. It is an all-volunteer force, after all.

And all that crap IS hard to move in.

Doesn't mean more armor's not a good idea. Also doesn't mean that they make armor that works for shit when an IED blows half your body into postage stamp-sized pieces.

However the flak jacket has a ceramic plate to do that. Unfortunately you can't surround the entire soldier in ceramic plates or the enemies would just knock them down and run them over like something to the effect of bowling pins.