F#@K Dragon Skin!

Well, I've been putting it off as long as I could stand it. I've been reading, researching, conversing, and other such things until my eyes bleed. I promised you all a good rant, and here it comes.

Brace yourselves...

FUCK DRAGON SKIN. That's right, I said it. The stuff is just shit.

Project Manager Soldier Equipment (PM SEQ) is charged with making sure that we (the American soldier) have the best kit to get the job done.

In May of 2006, PM SEQ conducted an evaluation of the Pinnacle Armor SOV 3000 "Dragon Skin". Upon completion of the testing, a Power Point briefing was prepared. The very second slide is what is called the "Executive Summary". The very second bullet point states that "since the inception of the IBA (Interceptor Body Armor) program in 1999, Pinnacle Armor has NEVER responded to a full and open COMPETITION."

What that means is a side-by-side test of ALL the competitors, not just Pinnacle, in ALL the areas tested by an independent third party lab. This lab is H.P. White, the National Institute of Justice certified ballistics lab used to test Army body armor.

The STANDARD for Army body armor is this:

- Extreme temperatures ranging from +160 degrees Fahrenheit to -60 degrees

-Extended exposure to diesel fuel, oil, and saltwater immersion.

- And finally a 14 hour tempurature cycle from -25 degrees to +120 degrees.

At the bottom of the third slide, THE THIRD FUCKING SLIDE!, it says in simple English, "BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: Dragon Skin does NOT meet required protection standards."

This is an x-ray image of the Dragon Skin before testing.

The armor, when laid flat, provides amazing coverage and protection. The individual ceramic/titanium scales are near impenetrable.

Unfortunatly, the human body is NOT, as Pinnacle would like you to believe, flat.

But is neither here nor there right now. No, the problem arises when the armor is expposed to a high tempurature of +160 degrees.

This is what happened:

The adhesive that is used to bond each scale to the ones around it failed and the ballistic integrity was next to non-existant.

So here is my rant:

WHAT THE BLOODY SHIT ARE THESE ASS-CLOWNS IN CONGRESS WHINING ABOUT?

I don't give a good goddamn how they got the vest to fail, all I care about is that the vest was exposed to a pretty typical scenario for not only Baghdad, but all points South of there all the way to Kuwait where we spend an ass-load of time waiting for a bird into country.

I've read, I forgot where but I'm sure if you Google hard enough (that sound's dirty) you can find it, that a Special Forces soldier was quoted as saying something to the effect that he would be willing to risk an Article 15 to wear Dragon Skin.

An Article 15 is "Non-judicial Punishment. Non-judicial Punishment translates into this from About.com (I've simply linked it as it is painfully long (that's what she said! sorry...)).

But rest assured, it can be an ugly issue for a soldiers career to get an Article 15.

Now, I'm all for SF wearing what THEY feel they need to stay safe and get the job done. It IS, afterall, their job to take calculated risks in order to perform some of the most difficult missions. If they want Dragon Skin, there is a DAMN good reason for it. Give it to them.

I, however, am NOT SF. I might be Special Operations, but I am not in the business that they are. In fact, the Civil Affairs Operator is to engage to BREAK contact. We're not ass kickers. Although we are capable of handling oursevles.

I would risk an Article 15 to NOT wear Dragon Skin. I've worn the "old" IBA, and while it IS stiff, chaffes and is all around uncomfortable, I know for a fact that it will protect me from small arms fire and shrapnel to an extent.

Here is UNDENIABLE PROOF that the IBA works and should continue to be used untill Pinnacle mans up to proper testing or shuts the fuck up about their crap failing to meet the standard.


Army Pfc. Stephen Tschiderer, a medic with E Troop, 101st "Saber" Cavalry Division, attached to 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper during a routine patrol in west Baghdad in 2005. Tschiderer survived thanks to his protective body armor and directed a counterattack which wounded one of the snipers. He then provided medical aid to the wounded insurgent, who only moments earlier had tried to kill him. This insurgent video was recovered by U.S. forces after the counter-attack.

These jerk-off politicians are getting their panties in a twist because they think there is some magical form of armor that is going to protect us from IEDs.

I got news for you Francis, you CAN NOT STOP AN IED. Armor was NOT meant to protect you from a DIRECT HIT FROM NEAR POINT BLANK RANGE WITH AN ARTILLERY OR MORTAR ROUND! Especially the wickedly nasty EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator) or "Plater Charge".

So please, Congressmen and Congresswomen, shut the hell up and spend my fucking tax dollars a little more wisely.

At least until I get back to Baghdad. The thing I love most about being deployed is that not one cent of my paycheck goes into the pockets of those ass bag politicians.

Consider yourselves ranted.

JB2D out.