Here’s One Guy You Won’t Hear Complaining About Body Armor
Lots of soldiers complain about their body armor. And it is indeed uncomfortable, and rather heavy.
Still: I don’t think you’ll ever hear SGT Timothy Gilboe, ME ARNG, complain about it. Why not? Read this article from the Army Times to find out.
Three additional comments:
- Cojones muy grande, SGT Gilboe. Kudos.
- Kudos to you, PEO Solider. Your equipment certainly worked as designed that day.
- Finally, kudos also to whoever came up with the policy of offering the soldiers affected the item that saved their life as a souvenir. I wish we saw more such common-sense in DoD.
Category: Military issues, Real Soldiers
That’s one hell of a memento. Good on PEO Soldier for doing that.
The weight didn’t bother me so much once I learned to have someone lift it off my shoulders and adjust the chest straps.
Then again, I never did a lot of dismounted work, and from training I know the infantry and others who were pounding ground alot were definitely feeling the weight.
I guess my point is that I was glad to have it, even with the lack of mobility and added weight.
Three words…BIG BRASS BALLS. Kudos to SGT Timothy Gilboe. Glad you made it okay. I’m sorry about your squad leader, Sgt. Matt Hermanson. God bless you both. Glad the insurgent got his too.
Not to take away from SGT Timothy Gilboe, his heroic actions, and those of his squad…
We just passed the one year mark of a really shitty green on blue attack that occurred at COP Jagato. ANSF pulled up in the compound and opened up on unsuspecting ODA Team members with a PKM.
No telling how many casualties have occurred on the road between FOB Airborne and Jag due to IED’s. I know that 8July2012 they killed 6 MP’s out of Ft. Bliss that were all in one MRAP. That is one shitty place, deserving of HE more than our soldiers’ blood, IMHO. While we’re at it, blow the fuck out of Chak DC too.
Sorry, my bad. In reference to COP Jaghato above, I should have said COP Jalrayz. Damn, the memory is not what it used to be.
Wow, a guy I served with took a round off his ACH (which he had only put on seconds before) at Jaghato.
Gilboe: “He definitely died keeping me alive and saving lives, and this [plate] will always be his. That’s why I’m happy I got it, to tell his story.” The soldier Gilboe is referring to is remembered here:
http://projects.militarytimes.com/valor/army-staff-sgt-matthew-d-hermanson/6398624
Wow! 22 years old and a Staff Sergeant. That is pretty shit hot. It’s obvious he led from the front.
Rest in peace Staff Sgt. Matt Hermanson.
I go back and forth on the body armor. When I was driving (and confined to the truck) I hated it. It was just one more thing to get in the way. When I was dismounted and doing foot patrols I didn’t mind it (though we were allowed to strip down to “plate carrier” and didn’t have to hassle with shoulder pads, groin protectors, neck protectors, and side plates). One thing I do mind was deploying at 5’6.75″ and coming home 5’5.5″..
The biggest thing that bothers me about it, though is its a defensive response. Its the turtle strategy, dig in, armor up, and when in doubt add more armor, that came with issuing body armor. We weren’t give the armor to protect ourselves during offensive operations. We were given the armor for protection.
I’m tired, just got back from an NCOES school, and twenty plus days of powerpoint is fogging my brain, so I’m not sure how much sense that comment is making, so I’ll stop now.
I know one guy who swears by the groin protector. He wears it every time. Ever since a fifty malfunctions and fired pieces of brass into his thigh and crotch.