Rapid Fielding Initiative Advanced Combat Helmet saves Soldier's life

TAJI, IRAQ

04.15.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Sgt. David Foley
MNC-I PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- While most Soldiers were dreaming up ways to make their loved ones feel special this Valentine's Day, one Soldier was deciding how to tell his wife just how close he came to death.

Staff Sgt. Shannon West, 377th Transportation Company, 68th Corps Support Battalion, 46th Corps Support Group, 1st Corps Support Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., was riding in the passenger seat of a heavy equipment transport vehicle Feb. 14 with a convoy on its way from Baghdad International Airport to Logistical Support Area Anaconda, Iraq, to drop off supplies when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device about one mile away from Camp Taji.

The IED instantly disabled West's vehicle, forcing him and his driver, Sgt. Brandon Askew, who was deafened by the blast, to exit the vehicle and get into defensive fighting positions.

"Everything we had was just blown to bits," Askew said.

When the two Soldiers exited the vehicle, they were then confronted with increasing levels of small-arms fire. West and his comrades returned fire while devising a plan to get everyone back on the move.

However, their troubles were compounded when the driver of the truck two vehicles behind West's HET was unable to see through the cloud of dust and smoke and crashed into the rear of another vehicle, pinning the passenger under the dashboard, making the rescue more complicated.

Askew provided cover fire while West and one of his comrades moved to the rear vehicle where they dislodged the wounded Soldier and carried him about 100 yards to a Humvee from another convoy that had stopped to help.

All of the Soldiers made it out of the situation with minimal wounds, the most severe being torn ligaments in the knee of the Soldier who was pinned under the dashboard.

More than three hours passed between the time of the blast and when West and his comrades made it back to Camp Taji for the debriefing.

That's when West realized he had been hit by fragments of the IED.

"The funny thing was, I didn't know until I got here," West said. "My squad leader said "Hey sergeant West, have you seen your Kevlar?"

"When I took it off, I saw a big cut in it," he said. "When I looked inside (the helmet) I realized what had actually happened. I was surprised."

A fragment of the IED had lodged itself into West's helmet creating a hole the size of a pencil in the outer shell, but the inside of the helmet was protruding into the padding with a bump the size of a golf ball.

West said he had his doubts about the Advanced Combat Helmet when it was first issued to him, but he has changed his mind since.

"I didn't like it. It feels funny on your head and you need to adjust it every time you take it off. The only thing I liked about it is that it's light," he said. "But my faith in the (ACH) is really there. I am glad to see it actually works."

After losing one Soldier and two others receiving serious wounds because of IED attacks, West's company commander, Capt. Scott Williams, was also glad to see the effectiveness of the ACH.

"This definitely saved his life," Williams said while holding West's ACH.
The angle of trajectory probably had a lot to do with it, but if he weren't wearing the helmet, West would have probably died, he said.

Because of the effectiveness of the ACH, West will be awarded the Purple Heart for suffering a mild concussion rather than receiving a posthumous medal, something West said is a blessing, but doesn't completely settle his nerves.

My first few missions back, I was terrified," he said. "I was actually paranoid but after getting back into it, I'm ok. The first two missions were nerve racking, but now it's not too bad."

West and his comrades continue to drive the streets of Iraq taking supplies wherever they are needed, and they always wear their individual body armor and ACHs.

• Date Taken: 04.15.2005
• Date Posted: 04.15.2005 11:17
• Story ID: 1606
• Location: TAJI, IQ