Types of bulletproof vests used in the Vietnam War

Every frontline soldier in Vietnam was issued a bulletproof vest as part of their combat gear. The body armor is worn over the upper body and was designed to provide protection against small arms fire, shrapnel, and flying debris.

The Marines used to wear the armored vest M-1955. It weighed just over 10 pounds and was made from a mix of nylon and a special protective material known as Doron. Doron was first manufactured in 1943 by the DowChemical Company, and was created by joining glass filaments together under high pressure, using a resin called methacrylate. This produced a hard but lightweight material that could withstand ballistic impact at very close range. The vest was fitted with twenty-three separate Doron plates, layered with nylon to cushion the impact of a direct hit.

The army bulletproof vest was slightly different. It was called Body Armor, Fragmentation Protection, Vest M69. It reflected the Army’s preference for nylon-aluminum over Doron. Protection was constructed using layers of ballistic nylon padding, sealed in a waterproof vinyl plastic shell. The vest weighed less than 8 pounds and was more comfortable than the M-1955, especially in the heat and humidity of Vietnam, although in both cases the habit of wearing the flak jacket unbuttoned to keep cool undermined its value.

Unfortunately, neither vest was actually designed to stop an AK-47 fired at point-blank range, but they did a pretty good job of stopping shell blasts, rocket fragments, snake bites, fire ant stings, prickly spines, and the odd bullet. who had almost run. out of gas.