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Armoured Suits Are 'Too Goofy' Say US Troops
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 5-9-2006 | Francis Harris

Posted on 05/08/2006 6:51:57 PM PDT by blam

Armoured suits are 'too goofy' say US troops

By Francis Harris, in Washington
(Filed: 09/05/2006)

American troops have complained that a new armoured body suit designed to be worn in Iraq makes them look "goofy".

The water-cooled "alien spacesuits" are being handed out to turret gunners in their notoriously vulnerable Humvee vehicles.

The new suit is designed to protect against roadside bombs but has had mixed reviews from soldiers

The protective suit, based on those worn by bomb disposal officers, was intended to cut spiralling casualties for one of the most dangerous jobs in modern warfare.

But some troops have complained that the armour and headgear is inelegant. Others say the water-cooling system, designed for the soaring temperatures of an Iraqi summer, regularly breaks down.

Nonetheless, the suits being tested in combat by US military police units in northern Iraq have produced good results.

Capt Larry Bergeron told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes that the armour was credited with saving the lives of three men sprayed with shrapnel from roadside bombs.

"One soldier's visor stopped a piece of shrapnel that hit dead centre," he said. "If he had not had that suit on, the effects could have been catastrophic."

Gunners on Humvees have high casualty rates. While newly-installed armour protects those inside, the gunner stands with the upper half of his body exposed, making him far more vulnerable to roadside bombs and gunfire. Others have been crushed as vehicles overturn.

But Specialist Michael Floyd, 19, said: "I am not a big fan of this thing. It is really hot and hard to move around in. I do feel safer, but only in an explosion. I would not feel safer in a rollover or in small-arms fire."

Critics say the heavy suits also restrict movement during combat.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: armoured; beekeeper; buzzlightyear; gear; goofy; miltech; say; suits; too; toogoofyforwords; troops; us
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1 posted on 05/08/2006 6:51:58 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam

It made me laugh!


2 posted on 05/08/2006 6:53:16 PM PDT by Hunble
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To: blam

LOL!!!!!

There is absolutely no way my son will wear this!


3 posted on 05/08/2006 6:53:54 PM PDT by bnelson44 (Proud parent of a tanker! (Charlie Mike, son))
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To: blam

screw that...

I wouldn't have wanted to wear anything like that....

and unless I miss my guess, most of our soldiers in Iraq wouldn't want to wear that stuff either.


4 posted on 05/08/2006 6:54:12 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (aka MikeinIraq)
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To: bnelson44
However, your daughter may want to obtain this outfit when exposed to male college students.

This is the most outstanding "ANTI-RAPE" device ever invented.

5 posted on 05/08/2006 6:55:55 PM PDT by Hunble
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To: blam
That's what happens when you let women into the military...More concerned about whether their butt looks fat in the new armor than doing what they are told !
6 posted on 05/08/2006 6:55:55 PM PDT by SENTINEL (USMC GWI (MY GOD IS GOD, ROCKCHUCKER !!))
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To: blam

OMG. I'd like to see them try to make my Marine Gunny Sergeant son-in-law wear something like that.


7 posted on 05/08/2006 6:57:26 PM PDT by M. Thatcher
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To: blam

What's that turtle armor soldier thingie?


8 posted on 05/08/2006 6:59:38 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (We want our day: A day without hearing SPANISH ...)
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To: BunnySlippers

Super Ninja Turtles!


9 posted on 05/08/2006 7:00:19 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (We want our day: A day without hearing SPANISH ...)
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To: Hunble
There is also the glasses worn in Basic Training, the slang terms of which are "Birth Control Glasses" and "Rape Prevention Glasses".

Hey, if it saves lives, it's all good - but I don't think any self-respecting soldier would voluntarily wear one! The guy ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT look like a soldier! It definitely does look like a space suit.

I nwonder what the Iraqis would think if they saw one of those Americans walking around in that.

First it was those infidel Americans, now it's infidels from another planet! What's next???

10 posted on 05/08/2006 7:01:15 PM PDT by tlj18 (Bush and Hu Jintao meeting in Washington, amid grand ceremony... how can I *NOT* think "treason" ??)
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To: blam

May look goofy but.. where can i buy a suit? :)


11 posted on 05/08/2006 7:02:23 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* “I love you guys”)
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To: bnelson44
There is absolutely no way my son will wear this!

So if he died tomorrow.....you'd be happy knoing he didnt die looking like a dork?

12 posted on 05/08/2006 7:04:10 PM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
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To: blam
Look like Carhartt's to me and no where near as 'goofy' looking as this:


13 posted on 05/08/2006 7:05:05 PM PDT by elli1
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To: blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1628611/posts?page=15#15 This was mentioned in another post.

I prefer the CROWs system myself. It is much safer for the crew, though it is much more expensive and requires modification to the vehicle. http://www.defense-update.com/products/c/CROWS.htm http://www.roi.bourns.com/weapon/crows.asp http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=7137

Note: All links are open source and approved for distribution.

14 posted on 05/08/2006 7:06:28 PM PDT by M1Tanker (Proven Daily: Modern "progressive" liberalism is just National Socialism without the "twisted cross")
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To: blam

But do they actually work?

If it works then it may not be so goofy.


15 posted on 05/08/2006 7:07:50 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: blam
They could try to make it look more...intimidating. That said, I wouldn't object to wearing it in that role (unless it severely restricted gunnery ability).

Could be worse.

16 posted on 05/08/2006 7:07:50 PM PDT by M203M4
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To: blam

But do they actually work?

If it works then it may not be so goofy.


17 posted on 05/08/2006 7:07:51 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: stuck_in_new_orleans

He would


18 posted on 05/08/2006 7:08:23 PM PDT by bnelson44 (Proud parent of a tanker! (Charlie Mike, son))
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To: blam
I believe that suit would be suitable or apropos for East Los Angeles, California, Detroit, Michigan, New Orleans, Louisiana and most cities on the East Coast.
19 posted on 05/08/2006 7:10:31 PM PDT by OKIEDOC (There's nothing like hearing someone say thank you for your help.)
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To: tlj18
EOD does where something like this while performing their duties of bomb disposal.

For the average soldier in a combat environment, this would cause more casualties than it could prevent. If anything, it may actually case some deaths.

The ability to rapidly move and locate shelter (hide behind a wall), is a soldier's best form of protection.

However, as an "ANTI-RAPE" device for our military women in Iraq, this outfit may be useful.

20 posted on 05/08/2006 7:10:44 PM PDT by Hunble
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