Posted on 05/01/2006 4:35:39 PM PDT by SandRat
BUHRIZ, Iraq (May 1, 2006) – Capt. John McFarlin owes his life to the Army Combat Helmet.
While McFarlin’s unit recently responded to attacks on an Iraqi police station in Buhriz, he was hit in the helmet with a shot from an AK-47.
“I was suppressed for a moment and then I got back up" and returned fire, said McFarlin of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers’ Military Transition Team who oversees the 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division.
A day after the attack, McFarlin was still sporting the damaged helmet. He said he felt unaffected by his brush with death.
While some see the gear Soldiers are required to wear as cumbersome, the Degraff, Ohio, native touts the life-saving ability of which he now has first-hand knowledge.
“Things are going to happen,” he said. “You’ve got your equipment: you’ve got your IBAS, you’ve got your Kevlar and you’ve got your eye pro. (You need to) offer as little target as you need while doing your job.”
(Editor's note: Sgt. Zach Mott writes for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office.)
I talked recently to a kid whose helmet got grazed by a bullet.
He said he really did see stars.
pics?
I always got a kick out of the survey cards the Army placed in new helmets asking you to describe impacts by bullets and shrapnel.
Maybe we should include customer comment cards in the bombs the Air Force drops on the bad guys.
None at source
Summer's coming. Good time to reinforce the notion of keeping the gear on, esp. as hostilities subside.
Seems like most folks don't have much of a problem with this, however. I was surprised how quickly the eye protection thing caught on once a few injury pics went out and got circulated.
They discovered our mothers were right about it all being fun and games until...
Many troops are wearing poly undershirts that are supposed to wick away persperation.
The military is starting to crack down on it as the poly melts if the soldier/Marine get burned.
The folks at Gentex in PA who manufacture the helmet say it is is best in the world. Thanks to all the hardworking folks who make these helmets.
http://www.gentexcorp.com/HelmetSystems/TBH-army.htm
If this is today's sample of that positive news out of Iraq that the MSM refuses to report, then we are in big trouble.
It's actually excellent news. What it means is that the enemy can shoot our Soldiers in the head, and we will get back up and fight. If this story was written with the tagline "Head Shots No Deterrent to US Soldiers," and plastered on the front page of the LA Times, then it would indicate a certain level of resolve which could be disheartening to the bad guys in Iraq.
Unfortunately, the liberal news media sees its role as disheartening the American war effort and strengthening the resolve of the bad guys.
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