DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled

Army Combat Helmet; Necessary evil

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mark Wojciechowski | Inside of Helmet read more read more

TIKRIT, IRAQ

12.19.2005

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Staff Sgt. Mark Woj

FORWARD OPERATING BASE REMAGEN, TIKRIT, IRAQ (December 6, 2005) - For many Soldiers, even the new Army Combat Helmet is a necessary evil, it can be cumbersome when in the dining facility trying to handle a tray of food and it causes headaches and tension in the neck when worn on lengthy missions.

Sgt. Shawn Snyder of 3rd Infantry Division's 2/7 Scout Platoon is one Soldier who will never complain about wearing his helmet again. With good reasonâ?¦ it saved his life.

Snyder's mission was to serve as a routine escort of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) detail to the forensics building in downtown Tikrit, so that they could pick up explosives that the Iraqi people found.

"Usually what we do is block off each end of the street so that they [EOD] can go in and pick the stuff up," Snyder said.

Snyder was standing up in the turret scanning his sector and waving off traffic for about 15 minutes when it happened. He recalled hearing a shot and feeling "a little jerk."

Snyder quickly called out to his driver and team commander (TC) to ask who was firing. Then he saw the Kevlar particles flying around so he jumped down in the vehicle and wondered if he was dying.

Snyder removed his helmet and felt around on his head ... there was no blood.

The round, most likely a 7.62 mm from a sniper rifle ricocheted off the upper left side of the helmet, shredding the outside and slightly cracking the inside.

"I didn't get a concussionâ?¦ didn't even get a headache," Snyder said in a matter of fact tone.

Snyder is married with a 13-month-old boy. When the 25-year-old Snyder told his wife what had happened, 'she took it as best as a wife could, knowing a round almost killed her husband a month before he got home," he said.

Snyder still wears the same helmet, but he has since replaced the desert camouflage cover which was badly torn. He will get to keep the helmet when he returns to Fort Stewart, Ga., in less than a month as a memento of an event that will never be forgotten.