Bee was not injured in the attack

[underpants]

U.S. Marine Sergeant William Bee from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has a close call after Taliban fighters opened fire near Garmser, Helmand Province in this May 18, 2008 file photo. In the witness story slugged AFGHAN-MARINE/, Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic recalls a rare sequence of split-second shots he took of Bee in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Bee was not injured in the attack.
To match AFGHAN-MARINE/ REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/Files (AFGHANISTAN)

[Taverner]

1. Azmazing photos

[jakem]

2. dude. why no helmet?

[underpants]

3. I knew someone would bring that up

I don't know.

Surprise attack?? :shrug:

Why no body armor??

I am NOT implying that he was wrong in any way. I was just wondering.

[nashville_brook]

5. do they even provide helmets and armor anymore?

[NeedleCast]

9. Yes to both

Not much body armor when I got over there in 2001 but ever soldier is issued a kevlar helmet.

[renate]

6. probably the temperature

Hats keep in a huge percentage of your body heat--I can't remember how much, but it's a lot. Helmets might make a person even hotter.

[nykym]

13. It's around

30% of your body heat

[jakem]

7. i am implying no wrong either.

as someone who has in the past ridden motorcycles sans helmet.

but it seems like if you are holding a rifle, you should probably go with a helmet too...


:shrug:

[underseasurveyor]

4. My same thought

no helmet or eye protection.

[NeedleCast]

8. No shit!

As a Afghanistan Veteran I know I was never outside of arms reach from my kevlar even when asleep. I think I spent more time wearing that than any other article of clothing other than underwear.

[krispos42]

10. Ironically, underpants may be just what he needs right now n/t

[DS1]

11. Helmets are completely ineffective against direct shots

but some eyewear would've been smart here.

[NeedleCast]

12. Depends

Mostly on angle but yes, a helmet is pretty ineffective against a straight on shot from a military rifle. However, if that picture is any indication, he's not under rifle fire. By the fact that football and baseball sized chunks of dirt are being flug into the air, I'd say that was a near miss from either an RPG or 81mm mortar round...which kills via shrapnel in most cases and is exactly the sort of thing that a helmet is intended to deflect.