Body Armor Question

I have seen ONE picture of a USSF soldier in Iraq after the end of the war wearing a PASGT vest. I believe the book was called "Victory in the Gulf" or something along those lines.

Other than that, I've not seen much of anything.

Like I suggested in OEF/OIF forum, they didn't wear body armor. But on occasionally they would wear flak vest (PASGT) like Ben said.

Without vest:





With vest (flak/PASGT)

I have pics from the book 5th SF group in Desert Shield /Desert Storm where team members are wearing flak vests and PASGT helmets (ODA 551) and even woodland camo NBC suits (teams advancing with the Egyptians). I have a pic of ODA 541 member wearing flak vest with LBE. There are also plenty of pics with several team members wearing black knit caps.


Tom

All i ever saw were flack jackets. Usually in woodland. We didnt get the 3 color covers until after. Yhe newest nbc suits at the time were also woodland. A lot of guys got the od ones tho. Same with ponchos. At least in the BRO..

Fins...

The original thread question pertains to just USSF personnel only. Comparison of conventional army units to SF units will yield varying results. That is why I specifically identified my source as SF with specific detail to different teams. Reason being, the items I received in the 1st Cav were even different to those items issued to the 1st ID and even the 82d ABN DIV. Tom

I was a spook. I worked with sf guys as well as local units and foreign troops. I was everywhere. I never saw a desert cover on a flak jacket while there. And the woodland chem suits and ponchos were just being issdued. There was no rhyme or reason to the issue at all regardless of unit. You got what they had to issue.  I had access to anything I wanted and never saw any body armor but flak jackets available. All the tan lbe stuff was private purchase unlless you painted ot which some sf guys did..


Fins..

What's a spook...CI? Working with a unit and being issued gear as a 5th SF Group member deploying from the states are two different things. Our entire brigade had desert camo covers on our flak vests and I'm pretty sure the rest of the division had them. When we opened up the chem suits we had a mix of plain OD green and woodland camo suits. I've talked to USAF Security Forces (aka MPs) guys who were issued tan nylon gear and have seen wartime pics of Saudi units with tan nylon gear but the thread started out talking about the ABA made tan LBV (vests) which appear to be an iconic piece of 5th SF Group issue. I've had about 6 of these at one time or another and are now quite hard to find. Tom

Yes, i was CI. I could draw the same issue as sf if i wanted to.

Fins...