SAVING RYAN'S PRIVATES: New "Armored" Shorts Protect Precious Arteries

[catman]

When your butt's on the line, you want it protected. The newest addition to the complement of protective gear, Kevlar Tactical Outer Protective Shorts -- yes, shorts -- provide 28 layers of protection against razor sharp shrapnel from an IED. Needless to say, this ain't your average lederhosen.


By Michael Garrett

In one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in Black Hawk Down, Task Force Ranger member Corporal Jamie Smith suffers a severed femoral artery during combat operations. If severed, the Femoral artery will gush blood to distances of over 10 feet. To stop the bleeding, U.S. Army Medic Kurt Schmidt and other Rangers present during the fierce fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia, try repeatedly to reach inside Smith's wound and pinch the artery shut with their fingers. Despite the heroic efforts by his fellow Rangers, Corporal Smith succumbs to the wound -- one of 18 service members lost during fierce fighting between 3 and 4 October 1993.

Advances in medical treatments and deploying surgeons closer to the battlefield have worked to reduce fatalities due to serious injury. Technological advancements such as improved vehicular armor have also proven effective in reducing death due to injuries. With the latest developments in body armor, which can prevent some injuries and seriously decrease the severity of others, the odds of surviving an injury could get even better. Although there is not a magical suit of armor that can fully protect soldiers from gunshots to shrapnel, another addition to the complement of protective gear has been added to the line of flak jackets and Kevlar helmets: Kevlar Tactical Outer Protective Shorts. Yes, shorts.


Armored Shorts?

Developed by LB Technologies, these Kevlar shorts meet National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level IIIa protection from fragmentation and small arms fire requirements to an area of the body previously unprotected -- the waistline to the knees and the vulnerable femoral artery. Due to increased use by insurgents of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), this protection is especially needed for soldiers in Iraq, in particular for turret gunners. As the IEDs are small and well hidden, there is no effective way to determine where the IEDs are located, or when they will deploy. When they are detonated, IEDs spray razor-sharp shrapnel in all areas, much like a claymore mine. Injuries sustained to the groin area by deployed troops have shown the need for protection in that area, especially considering that a severed femoral artery will result in a soldier dying within minutes if the bleeding is not stopped.

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory initially began testing the shorts -- which are worn over the service uniform -- and they've also been field tested by Air Force personnel at Langley, Virginia, and in the field in Iraq by the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment.

The result? They're somewhat bulky, and they're relatively heavy (8 pounds), though the weight is distributed by load-bearing suspenders. If you have to use the latrine, head, or bushes, you'd better not wait until the last second to take them off. They do, however, have pockets for carrying bullets and radios, and they have Velcro straps on the sides to allow you to adjust them for a somewhat better fit -- you can't buy these off the rack like a pair of good-fitting jeans. And they get the job done. 28 layers of Kevlar provide very good protection against razor sharp shrapnel from an IED.

Due to their bulk and weight, the Kevlar shorts in the current configuration aren't for everyone. The Infantry isn't likely to use them for foot patrols due to a limited range of motion and they add extra weight when you're packing those "must have" items. No doubt they'll never be developed to fit an Airborne troop's parachute harness (one of my worst fears as an Airborne troop was being shot at from the ground and hit, well, in the femoral artery). If you're a gunner on mounted patrol or if you're driving in a convoy, though, they're just the right thing.

In fact they're so perfect for this application that after Private Luis R. Mejia of the 3d Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment tested a pair he said "I think all gunners should have a pair. I feel safer wearing them." Lance Corporal Mike Suchevich also tried the shorts stated that "They're not very comfortable and they're hard to move in, but I do feel a lot more protected than before and that's definitely more important than comfort."

Use It or Lose It

When companies develop new protective armor for soldiers, comfort and weight are just about as important as protection. If an item is too bulky injuries can actually be increased because your movement is hindered and you just can't get out of the way. If it's too heavy soldiers will reject it, they'll "lose" it, and they'll find any reason not to carry it (anyone who has been on a ruck march in garrison knows the tricks to make your ruck look heavy, without actually being heavy).


Although still in the testing stage, Kevlar Tactical Outer Protective Shorts already adequately meet both considerations. Once Airmen at Langley, and the Marines in Iraq are done with their field tests, they'll provide further feedback to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The suggestions will be reviewed and the next generation of shorts will be improved. One suggestion that has already been made is to devise a quick-release mechanism to allow for quicker entry into and exit out of the shorts -- which can take up to 90 seconds.

On the other hand, there's a limitation to how light body armor can be and still offer adequate protection. At eight pounds, the shorts are as light as possible using current Kevlar technology, but no doubt future generations will also be lighter and more maneuverable and still offer the same level of protection.

As for me, if I were a turret gunner on patrol in a hostile area, I know what new item of equipment I'd be wearing -- Kevlar Shorts. Yeah I may look funny in them, they've been called "lederhosen" and "fishing shorts," but when my butt's on the line, I want it protected.

[DMZ-LT]

Frank was known as Torch cause he was burned over 70 % of his body. When he first burned into a fire ball he had to decide to cover his face or his crotch from the flames. Said he decided to cover his crotch cause even ugly guys got laid once in awhile. I miss him

[Jerry D]

kevlar shorts sound good to me

[catman]

Quite a few times I wish I would have had a cocoon to crawl in. But would have settled for any extra protection I could find.

Trav