How many of you have had your bacon saved by BODY ARMOR?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How many of you have had your bacon saved by BODY ARMOR?

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:07:41 AM EDT

Let's hear some stories.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:08:37 AM EDT

[#1]

Was not aware people were going to make an attempt on the life of my bacon. Thanks for the heads up.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:10:41 AM EDT

[#2]

Nope. Never been in the military nor in a gunfight.

My sister had a close friend who's husband was killed in Fallujah by a bullet from an AK. It hit him under his (raised, they think) arm and passed into his chest, despite the armour he was wearing over the bulk of his chest.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:10:49 AM EDT

[#3]

nvrmind, miss read it.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:12:54 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Nope. Never been in the military nor in a gunfight.

My sister had a close friend who's husband was killed in Fallujah by a bullet from an AK. It hit him under his (raised, they think) arm and passed into his chest, despite the armour he was wearing over the bulk of his chest.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:17:53 AM EDT

[#5]

I wear it for work but hope it never gets tested. My uncle was shot on a no knock raid and took one to the chest. It looked like a baseball hit him going 100mph. He was wearing a 2nd chance level2 and was hit with a 45acp.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:20:49 AM EDT

[#6]

.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:29:00 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
I wear it for work but hope it never gets tested. My uncle was shot on a no knock raid and took one to the chest. It looked like a baseball hit him going 100mph. He was wearing a 2nd chance level2 and was hit with a 45acp.

WOW!

That's the kind of stories I'm looking for. Happy endings.

So his chest was black and blue under his vest, where the round hit?

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:30:09 AM EDT

[#8]

Is he drinking thru his nose?

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:33:54 AM EDT

[#9]

My kevlar helmet shell for my CVC helmet stopped a piece of Russian made armor from penetrating my skull when a BMP blew up in a secondary explosion after one of the Abrams in our platoon hit it with a service HEAT round during the first gulf war. The TC for the tank that fired that round wasn't so lucky: He died instantly when he suffered a catastrophic head wound from shrapnel generated by that explosion. He was closer to that BMP by about 25 meters than we were.

The kevlar shell for the helmet replaced the non-ballistic fiberglass shells that were standard on the old CVC helmet. We barely drew the new ones from Bn Supply the day before we deployed.

That thing blew up in three seperate explosions. The first when the 120mm HEAT round hit it. The second when we were hit by the fragmentation, and the third when all the ammo that must have been inside REALLY blew and the only thing left of that BMP was a small piece of track, and a couple of roadwheels. How anybody survived when they were pulling Sgt Hawthorne's body out just amazes me to this day (one Cpl DeAnda was wearing his Second Chance vest, which stopped some of the shrapnel as well).

Most casualties to tank crewman occur outside their tank. That last explosion actually sounded evil to me. I can't describe the sound. It was more of a low-pitched "crunch" that echoed and shook the ground violently.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:38:12 AM EDT

[#10]

.40 FMJ FP, fired at contact distance, struck the upper right chest of my vest, hitting the trauma plate. This caused the slug to change trajectory and it passed through my right bicep, missed the brachial artery by less than a 1/4", exited through my tricep. I now wear a soft trauma plate over the hard plate.

.32 Silvertip, Shot in the back. No penetration.

Stabbed by an icepick, Vest prevented full penetration. Still nicked my liver though.

Two MVAs where I am certain that had I not been wearing the vest, I would have been severely fucked-up.

Not sure if stopping a toaster over counts, but the douchebag who threw it at me heaved it hard enough to knock me on my ass.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:38:21 AM EDT

[#11]

yea it looked nasty,he said it hurt like a bitch. After it happend he was never the same though and was always pissed off and starting drinking a lot.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:40:43 AM EDT

[#12]

I can't find the bacon.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:41:49 AM EDT

[#13]

I generally do not store my bacon inside my body armor, as this tends to reduce the shelf life of my bacon.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:42:13 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
yea it looked nasty,he said it hurt like a bitch. After it happend he was never the same though and was always pissed off and starting drinking a lot.

PTSD

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:42:16 AM EDT

[#15]

I fell out of a 7 ton truck during a training exercise one time. The side broke open as we went around a bend in the road at about 25 MPH. Fell out like a scuba diver goes over the gunwhale of a boat; rolled backwards, feet in the air and landed on my back and head. Both my SAPI plates were cracked and my hemet was ripped off. I wound up with a serious concussion but no broken bones. I am convinced that had it not been for the flak and helmet that I would have been seriously injured if not killed.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:43:18 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

.40 FMJ FP, fired at contact distance, struck the upper right chest of my vest, hitting the trauma plate. This caused the slug to change trajectory and it passed through my right bicep, missed the brachial artery by less than a 1/4", exited through my tricep. I now wear a soft trauma plate over the hard plate.

.32 Silvertip, Shot in the back. No penetration.

Stabbed by an icepick, Vest prevented full penetration. Still nicked my liver though.

Two MVAs where I am certain that had I not been wearing the vest, I would have been severely fucked-up.

Not sure if stopping a toaster over counts, but the douchebag who threw it at me heaved it hard enough to knock me on my ass.

Damn, you are a lucky man.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:44:34 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Nope. Never been in the military nor in a gunfight.

My sister had a close friend who's husband was killed in Fallujah by a bullet from an AK. It hit him under his (raised, they think) arm and passed into his chest, despite the armour he was wearing over the bulk of his chest.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:45:52 AM EDT

[#18]

Not me personally, but I know my armor has saved a few lives.

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:51:08 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Not me personally, but I know my armor has saved a few lives.

Thank you sir!

I love hearing the stories.

Posted: 1/30/2011 10:39:29 AM EDT

[#20]

Took an AK round to the groin protector, testicles can bruise and expand to 4x their normal size BTW.

Have been hit with shrapnel on more than a few occasions, unfortunately we don't have anything to protect our legs.

Posted: 1/30/2011 10:46:13 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:

.40 FMJ FP, fired at contact distance, struck the upper right chest of my vest, hitting the trauma plate. This caused the slug to change trajectory and it passed through my right bicep, missed the brachial artery by less than a 1/4", exited through my tricep. I now wear a soft trauma plate over the hard plate.
.32 Silvertip, Shot in the back. No penetration.
Stabbed by an icepick, Vest prevented full penetration. Still nicked my liver though.
Two MVAs where I am certain that had I not been wearing the vest, I would have been severely fucked-up.
Not sure if stopping a toaster over counts, but the douchebag who threw it at me heaved it hard enough to knock me on my ass.

Damn, you are a lucky man.

If you call getting shot (at) twice and stabbed with an icepick lucky, I'd hate to know what you think is unlucky.
Just kidding, interesting topic for discussion. Thanks for bringing it up MP0117.

Posted: 1/30/2011 10:48:04 AM EDT

[#22]

I once used my gut to keep a large part from spinning in a drill press, which would have probably broken fingers or more.

Posted: 1/30/2011 10:52:16 AM EDT

[#23]

Nothing I can personally report.

OIC on my first PMT took a chunk from a VBIED in his chest that his armor stopped.
Another guy on my team took a shot to his plate. Didn't penetrate.

Posted: 1/30/2011 10:56:06 AM EDT

[#24]

Never had my body armor protect me, but there was a Soldier in my Company who was injured quite severely after he took his helmet off one night as TC because it was "uncomfortable". An RPG penetrated the vehicle and exploded at his window. While he did live, and has since made a (relatively) good recovery, he will never be 100%.

Had he been wearing his helmet I can say that he wouldn't have escaped injury, but it would have resulted in much less extensive of damage.

Complacency kills (or maims).

I did escape injury from shrapnel because of some ballistic glass and vehicle armor once or twice though.

Posted: 1/30/2011 11:21:14 AM EDT

[#25]

I have not been shot in the armor, but was stabbed early in my career. The vest slowed the thing down, but did cut a few layers of the kevlar.
A few years later took a hard shot from a baseball bat right on the trauma plate, on entering a house on a warrant, from a POS who was hiding around a corner.
His personal outcome was not so lucky from the three guys behind me. I saw it coming but could not stop it. If I had not been wearing it, The ER doc said it would have not been a good thing.
Knocked me down, bruised the crap out of me.and pissed me off, but otherwise was unhurt.

Car crash, head on by a DUI driver who crossed the center line and hit me. The steering wheel hit me in the chest, and that really friggin hurt, but no injury.
The legs were kinda fubar for a few weeks. The in-car camera shots were pretty spectacular, especially when the hood folded up, and the windshield blew inward.

I tackled a guy about 7 years ago, and broke one rib, bruised two and separated another. He ended up with a separated shoulder, a broken collarbone and a grade 2 concussion.

I've been punched a few times in fights, but those are the laugh-off strikes.

Always wear it, all the time, never go to work without it.

Posted: 1/30/2011 11:26:54 AM EDT

[#26]

While walking down Route Cedar in IZ, the Staff Sergeant who was walking beside me was hit with 1 well aimed 7.62x54R round over his heart. His E-SAPI plate stopped what would have been a fatal hit if he had been wearing a regular SAPI. However, the round hit the E SAPI so hard, it shattered it, throwing ceramic frag into his neck, which started bleeding profusly. I thought he took the round in the neck at first, and so did he. We drug him behind a Gun Truck and I ripped open some hemcon to try and stop the bleeding from what I was sure was a GSW to the throat. Not that it would have done any good if it were. This is when I noticed the hole in his IBA, opened it, saw the shattered E Sapi, and realised what had happened. I can not describe in words the feeling of relief that you feel when a man that you are sure is going to die, is begging you not to let him die, and you discover that he in fact, is not going to die.

edit to change hemostat to hemcon.

Posted: 1/30/2011 11:28:27 AM EDT

[#27]

No, unless you count the steel pipe I dove behind as "body armor"

Posted: 1/30/2011 11:34:21 AM EDT

[#28]

I had to wear it for work, but thankfully never had it tested.

Posted: 1/30/2011 12:12:58 PM EDT

[#29]

I haven't. Never been shot at.

Posted: 1/30/2011 12:29:29 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

While walking down Route Cedar in IZ, the Staff Sergeant who was walking beside me was hit with 1 well aimed 7.62x54R round over his heart. His E-SAPI plate stopped what would have been a fatal hit if he had been wearing a regular SAPI. However, the round hit the E SAPI so hard, it shattered it, throwing ceramic frag into his neck, which started bleeding profusly. I thought he took the round in the neck at first, and so did he. We drug him behind a Gun Truck and I ripped open some hemostat to try and stop the bleeding from what I was sure was a GSW to the throat. Not that it would have done any good if it were. This is when I noticed the hole in his IBA, opened it, saw the shattered E Sapi, and realised what had happened. I can not describe in words the feeling of relief that you feel when a man that you are sure is going to die, is begging you not to let him die, and you discover that he in fact, is not going to die.

wow!

Posted: 1/30/2011 12:33:43 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

Quoted:
While walking down Route Cedar in IZ, the Staff Sergeant who was walking beside me was hit with 1 well aimed 7.62x54R round over his heart. His E-SAPI plate stopped what would have been a fatal hit if he had been wearing a regular SAPI. However, the round hit the E SAPI so hard, it shattered it, throwing ceramic frag into his neck, which started bleeding profusly. I thought he took the round in the neck at first, and so did he. We drug him behind a Gun Truck and I ripped open some hemostat to try and stop the bleeding from what I was sure was a GSW to the throat. Not that it would have done any good if it were. This is when I noticed the hole in his IBA, opened it, saw the shattered E Sapi, and realised what had happened. I can not describe in words the feeling of relief that you feel when a man that you are sure is going to die, is begging you not to let him die, and you discover that he in fact, is not going to die.

wow!

Yeah that is one of those "Thank you Jesus" moments.

Posted: 1/30/2011 12:44:16 PM EDT

[#32]

Two good friends in my platoon both took AK rounds to the chest plate. One was a saw gunner, round went through the sling, nut sack on the gun, a nut sack on his kit and then stopped in the plate. The other guy took one through two magazines on his chest and then stopped in the plate. Unfortunately two days later they were both shot in the left arm. That's why you don't stand in the fatal funnel.

Posted: 1/30/2011 1:47:18 PM EDT

[#33]

I've never had mine tested and I like it that way.

Several guys I work with every night have had vest saves.

Always wear your armor.

Posted: 1/30/2011 1:49:21 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
I haven't. Never been shot at.

You should get out moar.

Posted: 1/30/2011 1:55:50 PM EDT

[#35]

So where would ya'll recommend a civilian pick up a bullet proof vest?

Posted: 1/30/2011 2:00:44 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

So where would ya'll recommend a civilian pick up a bullet proof vest?

30 people who've never worn one much less bought one and 2 or 3 that actually did are going to tell you bulletproofme.com

I'd look at Gall's they sell to civies and were much cheaper when I bought and if you search you can find a coupon code for additional savings.

Posted: 1/30/2011 2:13:32 PM EDT

[#37]

Not quite.

Wrote a piece once, though, where the heroine was thought dead but save by "Armoflex", a metal weave reactive body armor based on harmonics.

I believe in the stuff, one way or another.
_________________________________________
(Steve, looking down at the inventions, the "glove", his buddy has delivered. "It's a pot holder?"
"It's body armor for your bionic hand!", (w,stte), The 6M$ Man, "Return of the Robot Maker")

Posted: 1/30/2011 3:17:44 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:
So where would ya'll recommend a civilian pick up a bullet proof vest?

You have any LE friends who've been on the job long? I must have 15 old vests still sitting in my basement.
Most long-time officers will have a few old spares sitting around, if you're ok with wearing used vests.

Posted: 1/30/2011 3:29:33 PM EDT

[#39]

I haven't had to test mine, thankfully.

Posted: 1/30/2011 4:30:37 PM EDT

[#40]

Shot a nut spare nut protector with a .32 once.

Damndest thing though. It was a Winchester Silvertip and when I recovered it, it had the weave from the kevlar firmly imprinted into it's nose.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How many of you have had your bacon saved by BODY ARMOR?

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