I told those morons for years steel plates were no bueno. What good is your torso being protected just to catch exploded bullet matter to the jugular and your man parts!
Concur
I remember all the way back to Just cuz (panama invasion) Where we were issued this wacky vest with overlapping 3/8" steel plates that clacked and weighed who knows how much
So I climbed in the cockpit to haul some bubbas out to that fortress thing at the pacific end of the canal. Some bad guys were holed up in there and we were given the job of taking them out. Couple chinooks, lots of you guys, special flavor though...
So I climb in the cockpit with that vest on, My MP-5SD strapped across the front of it, and a whole bunch of mags strapped to my non collective leg and crashed down with a thud. In the other seat sat an old Vietnam veteran CW4. he was only wearing a flight suit with a 9mm pistol sticking halfway out of one pocket.
So feeling like the tin man and now the veteran of what, 2 days combat if you wanna call it that, I ask, So, Dennis I'm kinda new at this what should I do. He says "take a look out there...between us and that fortress we're about to fly into, What do you see?"
I see water, I said, pretty sure that was the answer he was looking for. He continued, "Think you can swim with all that on?" he asked. "No" I answered, and he continued, "What did the intel guys just tell you they had in there to shoot at us with?" Remembering, I answered, "A single 57mm cannon and some 12.7 diskas" Dennis asked, " Think all those noisy plates will stop a 57mm round?"
Without saying a word I stood up in the cockpit, removed the vest and stuffed it under my seat. "Good call troop" he nodded, "Helmets! Lets get this show on the road!"
Yea, I don't use steel plate which isn't welded to something that is driving or flying me around.