Armor

[Andy]

Don?t mean to beat a dead horse, especially on such a sad day but this needs to be said. Some people in as well as out of congress have spent a lot of time beating the drum saying our troops are not well enough equipped. One of the big complaints, as you all know, has been that humvee?s (a juiced up jeep) aren?t armored well enough.

Today a Marine AAV was destroyed by a roadside bomb. Unfortunately 14 Marines were killed in the explosion. A tragic incident indeed. For those who don?t know, an AAV is something like a pregnant APC, larger, more armor and more seaworthy. If one of these road side bombs ripped apart an AAV, killing all on board, an extra armor kit attached to a humvee will accomplish what?

Having ridden on two APC?s that were blown up, (one with an anti-tank mine, one with RPGs) I can tell you we did things to try to make them safer. But deep down we knew it was psychological on our part, sort of like removing the buttons from your shirt so you could get closer to the ground.

Those beefed up armor kits remind me of all the extra security we have at airports that pick out grandmothers on crutches for special searches. Common sense should not be used sparingly.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Pop24]

Maybe with all that's happened with these road side bombs, some specially designed, heavily armoured vehicles will be developed.

[MarineAO]

Well my understanding of this incident is it was a IED some where in the neighborhood of 500lbs. and it went off underneath the vehicle and as with most tracked vehicles that is where the armor is the thinest on the bottom of a LVT-P7 (AAV) the skin is only 3/4 in. thick that will not stop much if anything, remember these things are rarely hit from below the sides and top are better protected most skin areas are double layers of 1 inch armor aluminum.

I tell you today my Heart is heavy for in two days 20 of my Marine Brothers have joined the ranks Guarding Heaven and I understand that they all are from the same Reserve Unit from Ohio. There is no joy in that State today and I'm praying for all of them and their Families.
Rest In Peace Brothers, SEMPER FI.
Sandy

[SuperScout]

Not to overstate the obvious, but there is not enough armor in the world to protect against driving over a 500# mine. This lesson was not learned very well by the 5-60th Inf (Mech), 9th Inf Div, a sister battalion of the 2-47th Inf (Mech), by old unit. The 5-60th would use their APC's as a lane clearing vehicle, and way too often, hit the big one. When my unit, the Scouts, was OPCON to a brigade at Dong Tam, we were tasked to clear a road one morning, and using some recently liberated engineer mine detectors, we were making good progress until the S-3 called for my location. When he figured we were going too slow, he ordered me to drive down the road, a road yet uncleared. Again, came real close to court martial until my Cdr explained to the dumbass major what an APC was.

Sorry to digress, but I too, Sandy, mourn for these fine warriors, and give thanks to our Almighty God for their sacrifice, asking Him to comfort their families.

[DMZ-LT]

My 113's were called ACAVs. It was just a 113 with extra underbelly armor and gun shields for the two 60's and the 50. Had a track hit a #500 er crossing a stream , 4 KIA and we picked up pieces of track and troopers for a 1/4 mile. Ga National guard taking a pounding there too. What y'all said

[Jerry D]

Amen and God bless them all