# Do our troops wear Bullet-Proof Vests? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196 "2003-03-26T03:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/21 "2003-03-26T23:16:19Z")
I read somewhere that helmets are also worn unstrapped, or at least were back in Nam, because the pressure wave from a nearby explosion could blast away the helmet, and if it happened to be attached to the head…well you know. The story seams a little shaky, does anyone know if it’s true? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/22 "2003-03-27T00:27:46Z")
> [@](#): > > FYI: I believe Level IV armor can stop many rifle bullets, but I’ve heard it’s quite expensive and heavy (I think it uses ceramic plates). Does anyone have more info? > [@](#): > > They’re not totally useless (the new ones are kevlar). They do afford protection to a degree, but a shot at close range from a high powered rifle would probably put a hole in one. Couldnt they integrate ceramic layer within the helmet? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/23 "2003-03-27T01:12:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aeropl \* > \*\*Wow, I’m hijacking everything lately. > > Isn’t the same true for the helmets they wear (both in World War II and currently)? That is, the helmets are useless against bullets? \*\* Tell that to [[http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12276106,00.html](http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12276106,00.html)](this guy.) Also, a little bit from a company that manufactures ceramic body armor. > [@](#): > > Inside the vest > > M Cubed’s lightweight ceramic plates are made out of a combination of silicon and silicon carbide, which is molded into the shape of a body. The plates, which at about 4 pounds each weigh nearly 40 percent less than alternatives made from steel or alumina, come in five sizes. They are designed to be worn on the chest and back. > > Each plate takes about three days to produce, including two 24-hour periods for high-temperature baking. Completed plates are shipped to M Cubed’s partner, Simula Inc. in Phoenix, Ariz. The plates are slipped inside a casing made from fabric by Honeywell Inc. in Morristown, N.J. > > The soft casing is designed to hold the ceramic in place when it shatters from the impact of a bullet, while also containing the impact so the soldier isn’t harmed either by ceramic fragments or the force of the impact. > > The use of ceramics for protection is not new, but tends to be expensive, Lauricella said. More can be found [www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/business/2002/04/14armorprotectsne.html+ceramic+body+armor+us+marines+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8](http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:o4geah80AqQC:%5Burl)]here ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/24 "2003-03-27T01:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hobbes730 \* > I read somewhere that helmets are also worn unstrapped, or at least were back in Nam, because the pressure wave from a nearby explosion could blast away the helmet, and if it happened to be attached to the head…well you know. > > The story seams a little shaky, does anyone know if it’s true? \*\* Sounds like BS. If I come up behind you and yank your helmet real hard, do you think the strap or your head will break first? IMHO, any blast strong enough to blow your head off will blow it off with or without the helmet. Just thought I should throw it out there that the ceramic plates make the armor heavier and bulkier. Like any body armor, you want a nice mix between mobility and protection. Sometimes your best protection is just being able to get out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/25 "2003-03-27T01:33:03Z")
Keep in mind that front line infantry ALREADY carry about 80 pounds of gear on their back. The additional weight and limited effectiveness of body armor is prohibitive. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/26 "2003-03-27T03:31:57Z")
[British Marine shot 4 times in head and survives, credit given to Kevlar helmet.](http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-12276106,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/27 "2003-03-27T04:04:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hobbes730 \* > \*\*I read somewhere that helmets are also worn unstrapped, or at least were back in Nam, because the pressure wave from a nearby explosion could blast away the helmet, and if it happened to be attached to the head…well you know. > > The story seams a little shaky, does anyone know if it’s true? \*\* I guess I should clarify, I don’t expect a nearby explosion to necessarily decapitate a soldier, but a broken neck doesn’t seem terribly unlikely, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/28 "2003-03-27T04:47:56Z")
Seems to me that a helmet would increase the inertia of a head, and make it less likely to be blown around as hard in an explosion. Unless the direction of the explosion was from underneath, where it would provide more area to catch the blast wave. But since that is where your body is, your odds of survival aren’t all that high anyway. The first time I was in Kuwait, we were issued flak jackets, but we never wore them. They seemed to weigh in at around 40 pounds or so, and had rigid plates of something. The bloody desert was quite hot enough without wearing armor to make it hotter ( did I mention I was there in July/ August?), and it seemed silly for maintenance people to be wearing flak jackets anyway. 😛 [http://www.bulletproofme.com/](http://www.bulletproofme.com/) has tables of armor effectiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/29 "2003-03-27T05:01:13Z")
From what I understand, the advantage of helmets is not in the hope that they’ll stop a round going straight for your forehead, but in the idea that they’ll stop shrapnel, ricochets, low velocity bullets, or bullets flying by that don’t hit nearly head on. The point of the helmet is to cause the object to skip off instead of penetrating. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/30 "2003-03-27T11:01:25Z")
Yeah - keep in mind, as counterintuitive as it might be - small arms fire accounts for roughly 15% of the casualties inflicted against enemy forces (on average). Artillery comes in at a whopping 70-75%, which is what a helmet is good for. ---
**Author:** ![DrNick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DrNick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrNick)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/31 "2003-03-27T11:36:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhum Runner \* > \*\*[British Marine shot 4 times in head and survives, credit given to Kevlar helmet.](http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-12276106,00.html) \*\* Yeah, lucky guy - still, my comment about Royal Marines’ ditching their helmets in the field comes straight from the horses mouth. But I think it is to an extent a macho thing as well. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196/32 "2003-03-27T12:12:38Z")
My flat mate’s ex-army and has just informed me that UK infantry use two types of body armour. One type is very protective and incredibly heavy and is used very seldomly, by mine sweepers and the like. The other is the standard issue body armour and he was told by various people in the army that it’s there to keep your guts together when you get shot, no other reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-our-troops-wear-bullet-proof-vests/164196.md?page=1)