Before anyone thinks legs are not vital organs, let me remind you of General Albert Sidney Johnston. He was wounded in the thigh at Shiloh, no one around him knew how to apply a tourniquet. Before they could get a doctor to him, a matter of less than 20, he bled to death.
Well not to be to much of a smart **** (well of I am a smart ****) but
all Marines I know for a fact can not graduate Boot camp without the knowledege of basic first aid.... to include how to apply and mark a touriquet.


Anybody remember a little excursion, maybe some others of you were there too, called Viet Nam? There was a very, VERY low tech threat for body armor that, as far as I know still works today especially the soft armor. Ready for the answer?
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Wait for it...
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a pointed stick...

the point doesn't have to break the fiber, just slips between them.

I think I'll just keep my kilts for everyday wear and if it comes down to it, go back to the armored division.
Also the modern Flack jacket has fixed this as well, when troops are going to be doing building clearings or any of that thype of thing where they will come into contact with people that are "suposed" to use the cermic plates that insert into the pockets on the vests.

I know this only because I spent about 2 years training Marines to Clear buildings over in the sand box. The new Vest is a MASSIVE improvment over the Viet Nam Era vest we wore only 5 years ago.
To my knowledge I have not lost any of the boys I trained due to equipment failure. Other then vehicles =( (Hummvee

The vest works if you wear the plates. You can live without a leg be a hell of a Marine still
http://www.tradoc.army.mil/pao/TNSar...r03/122503.htm
not that I think it is a great thing to lose a limb but I just want to point out that it is surviable and people go on and live productive lives.

All this aside I wish there was a better Leg protection out there.
When I was recalled we used a set up that had cermic leg plates over the thighs and it worked out pretty decent but added a good amount of weight and also only protected the outside of the legs. It was a decent Idea just to expensive to outfit everybody with and was mostly reserved for Police type units. With the the fight still on I am sure there will be more tremendous leaps forward in the protection that the body armor and overall uniform provide.