"Reporters' Body Armor" ???

[David]

Watching all the coverage of the Iraq war, I have taken notice of the different types of body armor that the TV reporters have been wearing.

Some wear the military type of body armor (usually in camo).

Some wear a SWAT team type of body armor (usually in blue).

Funny, one of my favorite TV reporters seams to wear the most "crappy" looking body armor in Iraq...his name is Rick Leventhal of Fox News.

I wonder if Fox issued this body armor to him, or if Rick purchased this stuff himself?

His "Kevlar" helmet looks like an used tin can spray painted in tan, and his body armor looks like a used police-type vest rated only for handguns.



Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Nightcrawler]

Most military flak jackets are only NIJ Level II, the same with the kevlar helmet. New vests with ceramic plates and better helmets are coming online (and have been in use with Rangers and other higher end units) but often less well equipped grunts get left with the older stuff. It's designed to stop fragmentation, not bullets. Don't let anyone tell you that a USGI kevlar helmet will stop a direct hit from a rifle round. Unless it's at very long range, it generally won't.

"The helmet is rated to 7.62, but the impact will break your neck anyway." This is a well-ciruclated Army myth. I've tried to explain to some that if a rifle round could break your neck on impact, it'd at LEAST dislocate your shoulder upon firing, due to Newton's laws. I've also tried to explain that I've SEEN pics of kevlar helmets shot with 5.56mm and 7.62x51mm, and the helmet stopped neither, but to no avail...

 

[Chipperman]

"but the impact will break your neck anyway"


That's a good one. I've never heard that one before.

I guess that's like the WWI soldiers not wearing helmet straps because the concussion from a close artillery round would tear your head off.

 

[hops]

David,

Saw as segment last week, where Shep and Rick are talking. Rick has his body armour off and complained that it weighs 60 pounds while showing the outfit off. Shep gets a call from upstairs and tells Rick to put the outfit back on or his life insurance policy is in validated if he gets shot. Rick has 2 little daughters, so he put the heavy body armour back oh.

I suspect that Fox supplied the armour since they pay for the life insurance policy.

 

[cordex]

Most military flak jackets are only NIJ Level II

The new stuff, you mean?
Didn't think the old kevlar flak jackets were NIJ rated at all (not that they could never stop a round, but ...)

 

[riverdog]

During that same segment with Rick and Shep, Rick mentioned the trauma plates in the back that increase the weight. Apparently his is set-up to a higher level than that of the Marines he was with. IIRC and all that, it was late.