thedrifter
01-17-06, 12:33 PM
January 23, 2006
Troops’ reactions mixed on new side armor plan
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
HIT, Iraq — Opinions on the addition of side armor plates to protective armor are diverse among Marines here: While most concede the extra weight of more bullet-resistant plating could prove a hindrance during foot-mobile operations, many admit they’d welcome the added coverage.
“I’d wear everything I could get in an urban environment, because you could get fire from any direction,” said Sgt. Adam Marshall, 26, of Tiffin, Ohio, with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
“But in a place like Afghanistan, where you have to hump a lot, I’d probably only wear plate holders. … And in a jungle environment, having all that armor on would wear you out,” he said.
Of the two battalions visited by Marine Corps Times reporters in Iraq — 1/2 and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, based in Ramadi — there was little evidence that any accessories to protect the side of a Marine’s torso or arms had been fielded.
None of the infantrymen interviewed had even heard of the side plates, and others complained that requests for soft shoulder armor had not been fulfilled.
Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Ramadi, were equipped with the shoulder protection attached to their vests. It is unclear whether side Small Arms Protective Inserts were part of the ensemble.
Some Marines said the side plates and the shoulder protection would be most helpful for the turret gunner of a Humvee, since his body is exposed to small-arms fire and shrapnel from roadside bombs the most, and he rarely has to dismount from the vehicle, making the cumbersome additions less of an issue.
Marines in Iraq universally applaud the body armor’s lifesaving capability, though several complained of the added weight imposed by the new Enhanced SAPIs, beefed-up versions of the older SAPIs. The added weight of the extra-strength plates is proving tough to haul, most admit.
However, almost every Marine who’s been to Iraq could recount a survival story of point-blank rifle hits or shrapnel sprays from bombs that, because of the vest and the ceramic plates it holds, resulted in little more than a short visit to the aid station for their fellow Marines.
“These vests definitely save lives,” said Lance Cpl. James Fairbanks, 20, of Lakeland, Fla., an infantryman with 1/2.
The increasing number and strength of up-armored Humvees in Iraq has contributed to Marines’ and soldiers’ protection while patrolling the insurgent-infested streets of some of Iraq’s most volatile cities, adding another shell around the already armor-clad grunt. This increase in vehicle armor has contributed to a reduction in the need for the side SAPIs or shoulder armor, some Marines said.
“During my first deployment here, I had to wrap the crotch protector on my left arm when I was driving,” said Cpl. Paul Stewart, 23, of Leominster, Mass., who was deployed to Fallujah with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, during the first major push through the city in April 2004.
“That’s when we were going around in Humvees with that first armor kit,” he added, referring to the cold-rolled steel doors Marines retrofitted to their existing Humvee fleet while the service waited for the manufacture of more protective up-armor kits.
Now, every Marine vehicle patrol that leaves a combat outpost in Iraq sits behind a thickly plated, factory-built cabin of armor and ballistic glass, Marine officials claim.
Despite praise for the current body armor system and its bullet-resistant SAPI plates, some Marines say they would rather go without the added protection of side SAPIs and shoulder panels.
“Those things will really cut down on your mobility,” said Lance Cpl. Landon Mercer, 20, of Phoenix, N.Y., an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon machine gunner with 1/2. “If I could, I’d go out there with just a load-bearing vest.”
Troops’ reactions mixed on new side armor plan
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
HIT, Iraq — Opinions on the addition of side armor plates to protective armor are diverse among Marines here: While most concede the extra weight of more bullet-resistant plating could prove a hindrance during foot-mobile operations, many admit they’d welcome the added coverage.
“I’d wear everything I could get in an urban environment, because you could get fire from any direction,” said Sgt. Adam Marshall, 26, of Tiffin, Ohio, with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
“But in a place like Afghanistan, where you have to hump a lot, I’d probably only wear plate holders. … And in a jungle environment, having all that armor on would wear you out,” he said.
Of the two battalions visited by Marine Corps Times reporters in Iraq — 1/2 and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, based in Ramadi — there was little evidence that any accessories to protect the side of a Marine’s torso or arms had been fielded.
None of the infantrymen interviewed had even heard of the side plates, and others complained that requests for soft shoulder armor had not been fulfilled.
Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Ramadi, were equipped with the shoulder protection attached to their vests. It is unclear whether side Small Arms Protective Inserts were part of the ensemble.
Some Marines said the side plates and the shoulder protection would be most helpful for the turret gunner of a Humvee, since his body is exposed to small-arms fire and shrapnel from roadside bombs the most, and he rarely has to dismount from the vehicle, making the cumbersome additions less of an issue.
Marines in Iraq universally applaud the body armor’s lifesaving capability, though several complained of the added weight imposed by the new Enhanced SAPIs, beefed-up versions of the older SAPIs. The added weight of the extra-strength plates is proving tough to haul, most admit.
However, almost every Marine who’s been to Iraq could recount a survival story of point-blank rifle hits or shrapnel sprays from bombs that, because of the vest and the ceramic plates it holds, resulted in little more than a short visit to the aid station for their fellow Marines.
“These vests definitely save lives,” said Lance Cpl. James Fairbanks, 20, of Lakeland, Fla., an infantryman with 1/2.
The increasing number and strength of up-armored Humvees in Iraq has contributed to Marines’ and soldiers’ protection while patrolling the insurgent-infested streets of some of Iraq’s most volatile cities, adding another shell around the already armor-clad grunt. This increase in vehicle armor has contributed to a reduction in the need for the side SAPIs or shoulder armor, some Marines said.
“During my first deployment here, I had to wrap the crotch protector on my left arm when I was driving,” said Cpl. Paul Stewart, 23, of Leominster, Mass., who was deployed to Fallujah with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, during the first major push through the city in April 2004.
“That’s when we were going around in Humvees with that first armor kit,” he added, referring to the cold-rolled steel doors Marines retrofitted to their existing Humvee fleet while the service waited for the manufacture of more protective up-armor kits.
Now, every Marine vehicle patrol that leaves a combat outpost in Iraq sits behind a thickly plated, factory-built cabin of armor and ballistic glass, Marine officials claim.
Despite praise for the current body armor system and its bullet-resistant SAPI plates, some Marines say they would rather go without the added protection of side SAPIs and shoulder panels.
“Those things will really cut down on your mobility,” said Lance Cpl. Landon Mercer, 20, of Phoenix, N.Y., an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon machine gunner with 1/2. “If I could, I’d go out there with just a load-bearing vest.”