Weight of Combat Gear Is Taking Toll

[GC13]

Yeah, I don't think any soldier who had to fire his rifle in a firefight ever complained about having too much ammunition left over.

... Too much ammunition that he wasn't carrying for the automatic rifleman, anyway.

[William F. Owen]

rusiresources.com/equippingmilitary/Owen%20(Session%204).ppt

This was a presentation I gave at the RUSI. Upset everybody at the time. May be of some use here.

My basic contention should be obvious and one well known to the regular crowd here.

[goesh]

- if Jr. has on 400 lbs of plate armor, they feel better, it's a perception of competency/protection, essentially political IMO - may as well be humping a portable X-ray machine too.......

[Tom Odom]

Funny that I have the "old style" that closes down the front and everytime I go out, the guys around me tell me they wish they had the same as the overthehead stuff weighs another 30 light weight pounds.

I feel like the younger brother in Christmas Story after Mom has dressed him to go to school in the snow, sort of an armored plated Michelin Man.

Tom

[ODB]

Sorry for the delay in the top down building clearing answer. Many years back 10-12 years ago. I was doing some testing for the folks out of Benning. We were testing MOUT ladders, when I asked about the old grappling hook method we had been using, I got an interesting response. The Army stopped doing that, due to soldiers no longer possessing the upper body strength to pull themselves up the rope. Hence we were testing other options. Just think this was pre body armor days.

[jcustis]

In the Marine Corps, I don't think the doctrinal texts tell a different story yet, but a squad of grunts turned writers after Fallujah v.2.0 drafted the superb AAR that is is terribly difficult to get a wounded and dying guy up and out of a 2nd story room if he weighs 250 lbs, and the bad guys still own the 1st floor.

[Schmedlap]

The Army stopped doing that, due to soldiers no longer possessing the upper body strength to pull themselves up the rope. Hence we were testing other options. Just think this was pre body armor days.

When I was a cadet preparing for jump school, we were told that every morning we needed to do 10 pull-ups prior to the start of PT (true) and that if you could not perform 10 pull-ups with perfect form, unassisted, after getting "smoked" at that time, on any day, then you would be dropped from the course (definitely not true). We did our preparation. Then when we got there, I think we were the only ones (other than the Navy folks who were on their way to becoming SEALs) who could do so. Most could do no more than 4 or 5. Some could barely do ONE. And these we largely skinny kids with not much weight to pull over the bar. Nintendo generation.

[RJ]

The Marine Corps just issued a field order that states Battalion and Squadron Commanders will determine the body armor policy in their Area of Operations.

The Corps determined Regimental Commanders (Col.) can over rule , but it is the BN. (Lt. Col.) Commander who is closer to the reality and intimate with the terrain and tactical situations their Rifle Companies are fighting in.

Politics and touchy, feely considerations may have just received a reality check.

The Field Order was dated April 20, 2009

[carl]

Here is an interesting article from the Sunday Star & Stripes about a patrol in Afghanistan; temp. peaked in the low 90's, what appeared to be flat terrain and multiple heat casualties, including two that needed med-evac.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?s...&article=62285

[JMA]

The Marine Corps just issued a field order that states Battalion and Squadron Commanders will determine the body armor policy in their Area of Operations.

The Corps determined Regimental Commanders (Col.) can over rule , but it is the BN. (Lt. Col.) Commander who is closer to the reality and intimate with the terrain and tactical situations their Rifle Companies are fighting in.

Politics and touchy, feely considerations may have just received a reality check.

The Field Order was dated April 20, 2009

I wonder if this order is still in effect?