By Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean
407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
09/23/2005
ALI BASE, Iraq -- Several unpleasant reactions may have crossed your mind when the supply person handed you body armor for deployment: heavy was undoubtedly the most common reaction (clarified by any number of adjectives.)
A two-plated vest "weighing more than some three-year-olds, and a necessity in many AORs"body armor design was never geared toward the casual lifestyle, but its weight, rigidity and unflinching resistance to comfort unarguably gives an unparalleled sense of security. There are times when this sense of security is just that, a sense, because the plates that protect you are useless dead weight.
Body armor is designed to protect you from small arms fire and fragmentation ammunitions, but it will fail if the integrity of the armor plates has been compromised. When the armor plates fail, bullets and fragments pass through the vest into the body.
Here at Ali Base, there's a large crate in the 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron supply warehouse that's three quarters full of broken armor plates. The plates came from vests that were turned in during out processing of the past two Air and Space Expeditionary Force rotations. There are more than 150 potential injuries or deaths in the crate.
"I wouldn't want to be walking around with a vest with these plates in it'that's just a waste of energy," said Master Sgt. Steve Strange, 407 ELRS supply supervisor, holding an obviously useless plate in his hands.
Personal safety is first and foremost here at Ali Base, but this is also a money issue: depending on the size of the vest each plate came from, the average plate replacement cost is $460. Putting that in perspective, that one crate, on this one base, for just two rotations, has a replacement value of about $70,000"enough to rebuild a home in New Orleans.
Some of the plates are broken unavoidably, but most aren't: most are broken as the result of mishandling.
"One of the biggest problems is that a lot of people put their vest in the bottom of their A-Bag in transit," said Capt. Michael Robinson, 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operations officer. "Then the bags are thrown here and there during transport and loading, landing on the vest over and over," he added.
"It may sound funny, but the body armor, which is strong enough to stop a bullet, has to be handled carefully" said Senior Airman Josh Warren, 407th ELRS supply journeyman. Dropping, tossing and careless storage of body armor will render it useless when it has to do its job.
"If I hadn't done it already, I"d take a good look at the plates in my vest today," said Senior Airman Caslon Smith, 407th ELRS supply journeyman.
There are no regulations outlining scheduled interval inspections of body armor according to both Captain Robinson and Sergeant Strange; however, Capt. Robinson advises following the lead of the 407th ESFS: take the plates out of your vest and inspect them once a week (at the same time you inspect your mask.) Check the plates for frayed outer skins, bursting seams, cracks, and powder at the bottom of the vest pocket.
Another initiative that security forces has taken"and a worthwhile down-day project for all offices"was to build racks for their body armor. "They're just simple crosses on a frame," said Captain Robinson. "Nothing fancy, just a good place to hang the vests so they don't get damaged from tossing them on the floor," he added.
Captain Robinson and Sergeant Strange recommend hanging your vest on the back of a chair, a strong hook, or setting it flat on a sturdy surface when it isn't being worn if you don't have racks.
Proper handling, storage and periodic inspections are the key to making sure that body armor does its job when you need it too.
Capt. Robinson is deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
Master Sgt. Strange and Airmen Warren and Smith are deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from the 181st Fighter Wing, Indiana Air National Guard, Terre Haute, Ind.
| Date Taken: | 10.22.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2005 19:25 |
| Story ID: | 3458 |
| Location: | ALI BASE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 8 |
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