Everything you ever wanted to know about 'Body Armor' (flak jackets)

[trof]

The new Interceptor body armor was worn by soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army and Marines rushed to get enough body armor into Iraq and Afghanistan by December 2003 for everyone who needed it, as fast as it came off the assembly line. For the Marines, the PASGT flak vest gave way to the new Interceptor body armor-an effective and highly valued piece of gear in the global war on terrorism. Because the Interceptor body armor was in relative short supply, deploying service members got priority at their points of issue. Accounting for two armor plates for each Marine in the ground combat element, the Marines fielded 94,056 plates for active forces and 39,284 for reserve forces.


Interceptor Flak Vest Ballistic Protection
The Interceptor's inter-changeable components give troops the ability to dress to the level of a particular threat.
By itself, the Interceptor vest insulates a soldier from shrapnel and 9-mm pistol rounds. When the protective Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) are added, the system acts as a ballistic barrier to 7.62-mm rifle ammunition. The PASGT flak vest only offered protection against fragmentation.

The Interceptor outer tactical vest consists of a very fine Kevlar weave that will stop 9mm pistol rounds. Webbing on the front and back of the vest permits attaching such equipment as grenades, walkie-talkies and pistols. The Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) is made of a boron carbide ceramic with a spectra shield backing, an extremely hard material. It stops, shatters and catches any fragments up to a 7.62 mm round with a muzzle velocity of 2,750 feet per second. It's harder than Kevlar. The four pound high-technology plates cost approximately $350 each to produce, a considerable cost reduction achieved by Army-industry cooperation.

A major upgrade effort to make Interceptor with SAPI standard issue for body armor was completed in early 2004. Between 2.0 and 2.5 million SAPI plates were issued. Additional protection was added for upper arm and underarm areas in the form of the Groin Protector (two sizes), the one-size Deltoid and Axillary Protector (DAP), and the Enhanced Side Ballistic Insert (ESBI) or side SAPI (SSAPI). Other components include the Yoke and Collar Assembly (eight sizes; X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large, XXX-Large, XXXX-Large) and the one-size Throat Protector.

I defy anyone to 'grope' a person wearing one of these.
PERIOD
NO. WAY.

[bagelsforbreakfast]

1. I don't know... according to some nothing can stop SUPER Al Franken...

Except maybe logic.

[rzemanfl]

3. Plus he has xray vision and doesn't have to consult

Playboy for target acquisition data. He's a totally awesome stud. Puzzles me why he has been with the same woman for so long.

for those who have fallen prey to the Republican Dehumorizer.

[LisaM]

2. Since you bring it up, I have a question.

Would it be normal for a passenger on a plane, even a military plane, home to be wearing both a flak jacket and a helmet on the trip home? Franken wasn't wearing any protective gear and I don't think the other person was either (my point being, maybe the gear was donned for a photo-op).

However, since I really know very little about what USO entertainers wear on the plane home from their tours, I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

[rzemanfl]

4. Just the women, because all men are pigs. n/t

[trof]

10. Please tell me this is sarcasm?

[rzemanfl]

11. It is, but to some here it seems to be the gospel truth chisled in stone. n/t

[trof]

12. whew...yes.

[trof]

7. I would not think so.

The helmet and the vest are not comfortable to wear.
I would shed both as soon as I safely could.
Inside an airplane, there's really not much need for one.
If the plane takes a hit you're either going down or not. The vest won't help you.

IMHO either the gag photo was staged, or Tweeden thought the gear was still somehow protecting her.

[VMA131Marine]

13. Small arms and shrapnel can easily penetrate the skin

of a cargo aircraft like the C-17 or C-130 without doing fatal damage to the aircraft. However, it could be fatal to someone inside the aircraft, hence the need to wear body armor when ground fire is potentially expected and within range.

[trof]

15. If you say so, but...

I notice that Franken is wearing neither helmet nor vest.
I guess he is either incredibly brave or abysmally stupid.

[Lee-Lee]

21. You wear it on takeoff and until you are not over the combat zone.

[Kirk Lover]

14. It looks like the guy next to her is wearing that stuff too.

[R B Garr]

16. This is exactly what I thought when seeing the picture on the internet

the first time without hearing any setup to what was going on with the accusations. Why would she be wearing a helmet and flak jacket on the plane? So it looked so obviously staged. Plus, Franken was in civilian clothes, no helmet was not touching her. He is smiling for the camera.

[Lee-Lee]

20. Yes, when taking off from a combat zone until you

have departed the airspace over the combat zone. Then you can take it off.

[cwydro]

5. Spot on.

Thank you.

[mainer]

6. Also, on a 36-hour flight home

Does everyone wear their helmets with chin straps fastened?

[trof]

8. No sir. You get as comfortable as you can.

[mainer]

9. Then she sure was sleeping weirdly

fo a 36-hour flight.

[BannonsLiver]

17. Ive never believed she was sleeping.

Everything with Trumpkins must be questioned regardless of their gender.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

18. I have worked on Flak Jackets........

For my customers who are in the Reserves and Police Department. They are heavy and bulky. Built to resist ammunition rounds and shrapnel. I tried one one and there is no way breasts feel any groping. Just the weight of the jacket against the chest.

[trof]

19. Thank you.

[rgbecker]

22. It doesn't take any brains to understand the humor in the picture.

The idea of feeling up someone who is wearing a flak vest is a riot and Franken shouldn't be so hard on himself....its a great photo making a great joke.

This is so much a RW hack job by Tweeden, she will certainly get the promotion she has been hoping for from her radio station.

[trof]

23. Franken is obviously leering, mugging, playing to type.

I feel so badly for him. He's such a decent human being.
I went to his senate website and sent him a message of encouragement.

[rgbecker]

27. Thanks, good idea, I'll do the same.

God forbid a picture of me from years ago ever shows up anywhere.

[trof]

29. I was a member of a fraternity in college in the early 60s.

I am DAMN glad nobody had a cellphone with a camera back then.
Let's just say that I possibly did not conduct myself with a total respect for womanhood?

No, I did not rise (or sink) to the level of whipping it out and manipulating it.
But my secondary goal in life (after studying enough to at least pass all my classes) was to get laid.

I subscribed to Playboy.
I papered the walls of my room with the artfully airbrushed centerfolds.
All four walls. 360 degrees..
My room was the envy of the fraternity house.
I was 19.

Now I'm 76. I've matured a bit.
Recently I said "I didn't have real good sense until I was in my mid 30s."
Miz t. looked at me and said "Try mid 40s."
Maybe so.

[PJMcK]

28. It's a great joke!

The idea that if he grabbed her breasts he'd end up smashing his fingers into Kevlar is hysterical!

At least it is to me.

Roy Moore chasing after high school girls, however, has no humor. Trump grabbing women without their consent, (it's hard to imagine they'd ever give it!), isn't funny and although I've spent many hours of my life in men's locker rooms, no one talks like he did on the Access Hollywood tape.

[Vinca]

24. When I was a police officer (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I wore a bullet-proof vest.

There is no way in hell anyone could have groped my boobies without taking that thing off. The Franken photo was obviously comedy and not a serious "grope."

[trof]

25. Thank you.

[Not Ruth]

26. The PASGT flak vest only offered protection against fragmentation

If they were wearing flak vests, that is nothing like a bullet proof vest. And vice versa.

I suspect that one is more comfortable than the other, but could not say which one.