US GI HELMET PROTECTS OUR BOYS FROM ?

I got lucky. The only practical use I ever had for the "steel pot" was holding shaving water. Oh yeah . . . used it as a pillow once while riding/sleeping in an APC. It suspends the head so it doesn't bounce against the metal "furniture" inside the vehicle.

Those days are gone forever, thank GOD!
 
2 Sept. 1968 Central Highlands Vietnam. I was a M-60 gunner. My squad and another were making a road clearing sweep while mounted on 113 APC's (ACAV). NVA ambushed the two tracks. I was the right side gunner and while returning fire there was an explosion and I was knocked to knee's. I had thought my gun had exploded. We passed through the ambush and turned around and headed back into the kill zone. The NVA had already bugged out.

My 60 hadn't exploded. The NVA had exploded a mine behind us sending scrapnal in all directions.

I took some scrapnal in the back of the neck and upper arm. Two other guys were also wounded but none of use seriously.

I was wearing a steel pot and flack vest.
My flak vests back had taken a few hits at an angle but nothing passed through. While waiting to be taken to the hospital I noticed that my helment had a dent in the side. I took the camo cover off and a piece of scrapnel the size of a 50 cent pc. had hit the helmet above my right ear putting a large dent from the dent there was crack all the way to the other side.

Before this firefight I hated to wear a steel pot after Sept. 2 I loved steel pots.

Turk
 
You can also boil water in the steel pot - something K-pots just are not good at.
Its nice to have HOT COFFEE in the morning when in the field.

[This message has been edited by George Hill (edited July 26, 2000).]
 
When you are short enough like I am and your height is just enough to put the trailing edge of the wingtip of a Boeing B-52 "G" Model right in the middle of your forehead that ole "steel pot" sure saved my good looks :rolleyes: the night I walked into said wingtip that one dark night. :D. A friend of mine accomplished the same mission about 4 weeks before that and it took 17 stitches to close the cut and a day to wake up from the concussion! Damn, Boeing builds em tough!!!!!

------------------
Carlyle Hebert
 
Compare these things to Spectra based helmets and there's no comparison. There are a few companies making Level III helmets with level IIIA Lexan face shields(clear sheilds that can stop a suprising amount!).

The Israelis seem to have a pretty badass helmet too. it doesn't cover the ears as well as ours, but it fits close to the head and from what I hear, offers exceptional protection.
 
Boiling water in steel pot -- can't imagine that does anything good for the temper of the steel! Kinda like the guys in the Civil War who cooked meat on their bayonets. That's why we get those nifty canteen cups with the little "stove" attachment. Works great with the heat tabs if you can get your hands on any.

Flaks are really good for helping you sleep sitting up. Just scrunch down in there and it props your neck up.

"Ranger Body Armor" has an insert that supposedly stops 7.62 NATO. Pretty heavy stuff, though.

Semper fi.

Bruegger out.
 
Compare these things to Spectra based helmets and there's no comparison. There are a few companies making Level III helmets with level IIIA Lexan face shields(clear sheilds that can stop a suprising amount!).
Click to expand...
I've heard somewhere that Spectra fiber burns much more readily than the newest Kevlar weave. Any truth to this???
 
PoodleShooter- FLAMMABLE HELMETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!!
Thanks for the pictures M77B1! Thats they way to find out what something does! Blast it!
 
Spectra doesn't so much burn as it goes all gooey and smokes. It is much stiffer though and makes a much better, and lighter helmet. The best options are to put ceramics behind it and a thin knit of kevlar behind that. That is what makes the best helmets.
 
Do civilians have ready access to high quality helmets and flak jackets? [I can see it now ... honey, is this what they mean by 'business casual'? ... ;) ]

Regards from AZ
 
I've seen a lot of Kevlar Helmets at Gunshows and plenty of body armor and flak jackets. I don't know if they are the best ones out there but you can get them.

Does anyone want to answer my question on Thermal Imagining?
 
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