Helmet Protects Soldier from Sniper Fire (One Lucky Soldier)

Defend America News ^ | Jan 6, 2006 | Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski

[SandRat]

U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Snyder displays the helmet that saved his life from a sniper in downtown Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski
U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Snyder
Helmet Protects Soldier from Sniper Fire
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment FORWARD OPERATING BASE REMAGEN, TIKRIT, IRAQ, Jan. 6, 2006 — For many soldiers, the new Army combat helmet is a necessary evil. It can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn on lengthy missions. However, Sgt. Shawn Snyder of 3rd Infantry Division's 2/7 Scout Platoon is one soldier who will never complain about wearing his helmet again. With good reason — it saved his life. Snyder's mission was to serve as a routine escort of the explosive ordnance disposal detail to the forensics building in downtown Tikrit, so that they could retrieve explosives that Iraqi people found. "Usually what we do is block off each end of the street so that they [explosive ordnance disposal personnel] can go in and pick the stuff up," Snyder said. Snyder was standing up in the turret scanning his sector and had been waving off traffic for about 15 minutes. He recalls hearing a shot and feeling "a little jerk." Snyder quickly called out to his driver and team commander to ask who was firing. Then, he said, he saw the Kevlar particles flying around so he jumped down in the vehicle and wondered if he was dying. Snyder removed his helmet and felt around on his head; there was no blood. The round, most likely a 7.62 mm from a sniper rifle, ricocheted off the upper left side of the helmet, shredding the outside and slightly cracking the inside.	The helmet worn by U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Snyder, damaged by a 7.62mm sniper shot. Snyder credits the helmet with saving his life. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski "I didn't get a concussion... didn't even get a headache," Snyder said in a matter-of-fact tone. Snyder is married with a 13-month-old boy. When the 25-year-old Snyder told his wife what had happened, "she took it as best as a wife could, knowing a round almost killed her husband a month before he got home," he said. Snyder still wears the same helmet, but he has since replaced the desert camouflage cover which was badly torn. He will get to keep the helmet when he returns to Fort Stewart, Ga., as a memento of an event that he'll never forget.

[SandRat]

What's that Sen Shillery?!!!! Our Troops don't have good gear????

[Riley]

It can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food [,,.]

Fasten the chinstrap and hang it on your deuce gear. If you're not wearing your deuce gear, button it to a pocket. Annoying still, but it frees one's hands.

[Supernatural]

Looks like more than a ricochet to me. That is one tough helmet. However, my guess that the round that hit him was a standard AK47 round, which is much less powerful that the 7.62 round used in the comblock sniper rifle. That round is about as powerful as a .30-06 round and my guess is the helmet would have been penetrated if that round was used...unless the round had been fired from a great distance and had lost a lot of velocity.

[ansel12]

God bless Ronald Reagan, he wasn't just about the big ticket items.

[Future Snake Eater]

What is "deuce gear"?

[GSlob]

You are likely to be right: from the picture it does not look like a glancing hit.

[ExcursionGuy84]

WHy would any Jihadists wanna crack of just 1 shot from an AK47 when they could have just emptied at least three spitters in his (Snyder's) direction?

[Dog Gone]

The only good news missing from this story is where his unit found the sniper and turned him into swiss cheese.

[Riley]

Deuce gear is short for '782 gear' in the Marine Corps. The Army calls it LBE, or Load Bearing Equipment. It is a combination of a harness and pistol belt- ammo pouches, canteens, holsters and various other things are hung on it.

[Choose Ye This Day]

ping

[JusticeTalion]

"Deuce gear" is a common term among servicemen. It refers to the form a soldier signs when checking out his equipment from supply, form 782, the 2 being the deuce. It is the soldier's basic equipment, canteen, mess kit, ammo pouches, back pack, etc., and is all included together on this form.

God bless our troops wherever they may be.

[CindyDawg]

He really needs a new helment. That one has been stressed.

[Future Snake Eater]

Oh, gotcha. I'd never heard that term before.

Unfortunatley, there really isn't any good place to hang a MICH (or ACH, as it's denoted in this article) anymore. LBEs have been sacrificed in lieu of bodyarmor with all of the pouches being hung off of it. Canteens are also pretty much gone, replaced by CamelBaks hung off the rear of the IBA (individual body armor).

[fish hawk]

it is gear you keep in a deuce bag.

[Nova]

I'm guessing it feels lucky though

[CindyDawg]

I'm sure but if he gets any trauma to it again it might crack right open.

[Space Cruiser]

"The only good news missing from this story is where his unit found the sniper and turned him into swiss cheese."
---


Is that what happened? That's what I'm wondering. Did they get the jerk or what? This is like half a story.

[Dog Gone]

It's half a story, and I'm guessing we'll never hear. At least the half we heard was good.

[Supernatural]

Good question; maybe his gun jammed. AK's are reliable weapons, but old, moldy ammo or a very uncared for weapon could cause such a malfunction.