Marine modifies body armor to treat gunshot wounds

[Etype]

I'm having trouble seeing how an AK round piercing the SAPI plate...

You could stop there. I haven't heard of any examples of someone being killed by a round penetrating their plate.

I'm sure it happens, but I definitely don't want to be carrying ANOTHER piece of equipment that is supposed to save in some freak 0.0000001% likelihood event.

 

[Teufel]

Good on this young Marine got coming up with a good idea! I'm very happy to see that the Commandant met with him to discuss his invention. I understand this particular idea may not be a practical addition to the tactical casualty care tool kit but it's refreshing to see senior leadership seeking out ground level input. I believe this does wonders for innovation and morale. Bravo Zulu Marine!

 

[TLDR20]

Good on this young Marine got coming up with a good idea! I'm very happy to see that the Commandant met with him to discuss his invention. I understand this particular idea may not be a practical addition to the tactical casualty care tool kit but it's refreshing to see senior leadership seeking out ground level input. I believe this does wonders for innovation and morale. Bravo Zulu Marine!

This I agree with!

 

[Devildoc]

Every Marine I have known has taken their issued gear and treated it like the gorilla on the Samsonite (yes I am that old), and tweaked it and modified it to make it better for them. Good on him for his resourcefulness and innovation.

 

[Gunz]

Every Marine I have known has taken their issued gear and treated it like the gorilla on the Samsonite (yes I am that old), and tweaked it and modified it to make it better for them. Good on him for his resourcefulness and innovation.

There's nothing like Marines in a combat zone to adapt and improvise their gear to better fit the environment. Sometimes the book has to go out the window. I had a teammate who made a vest with pockets to hold 40mm HE. We laced our dogtags into our bootlaces to keep them quiet and to ID us if the boot was the only thing left. We only had 20-rd mags for 556 so we taped mags together for a quicker change. Superfluous gear like gas masks had a way of disappearing. Minor examples, but Marines have always been creative in the field.

Back in WWII the Raiders used to make stilettos out of big aviation screwdrivers, sharpening them on a bench grinder, wrapping the handle in friction tape. The long thin shaft ideal for getting between the ribs.

Good on this young NCO...and The Boss for listening.