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Dear friends,

Thanks for the $14.72 donation. More of our warriors will accomplish their dangerous missions with less discomfort and more safety, thanks to you. And thanks for keeping your comrades in arms in your heart and mind through the years.

News from our military hospitals continue to relate that head injury and brain damage from explosives cause over 35% of death and disability in Iraq and Afghanistan. IED’s have tripled in number in the last three months, and will undoubtedly continue the trend as the ‘surge’ of troops begins to arrive in Afghanistan and take up combat roles.

Prior to our hearing before the House Armed Services Committee in June, 2006, only the Army provided blast/impact protecting helmet pads. The Air Force and Navy began doing so after we sent thousands of helmet pad upgrade to their troops in combat; pressure from the troops and their families encouraged the latter two Services to do so. The Marines doggedly refused to provide helmet pads until ordered to do so by the then-chair of the HASC, Curt Weldon.

For reasons known only to them the military later started purchasing the cheapest, instead of the best, blast/impact protecting helmet pads on the market. The cheaper pads offer protection similar to the best but are almost unwearable due to poor design. The flawed Army (USAARL) test results were used as justification in spite of obvious errors both in test procedure and unrealistic test parameters, as we have pointed out repeatedly.

The 'GI' pads from Team Wendy and MSA now being issued are so hard and un-conforming they cause migraine-type headaches during continuous helmet wear on long and danger-filled duty hours. When helmets cause headaches, troops almost unconsciously take them off or release the chin-strap for temporary relief. That proves deadly should the unpredictable IED’s, RPG� s and other forms of violent ambush occur. Our warriors need to concentrate on their dangerous missions, not on headaches or intermittent loss of protection caused by poorly designed helmet pads. Helmets pads that provide comfort as well as equivalent protection are more stable on the head, cooler in summer and safer to wear… and the troops WEAR their helmets full-time without giving them a thought. Only the pads from Oregon Aero meet our strict criteria.

Another problem related to the too-hard ‘bricks’: Lawrence Livermore lab reports that the supersonic ‘blast wave’ of an IED explosion causes central nervous system (CNS) damage in and of itself in addition to impact injury. An unpadded helmet serves to focus the blast wave, causing the skull to flex and impinge on the brain with predictable injury. Adding appropriate pads mitigates this effect, However, the kevlar shell also flexes. A too-hard pad inside a helmet transfers this blast wave flexion from the kevlar helmet shell directly to the skull, with evident increase in brain injury. The pads we supply free to the troops with the help of the American people help decrease such transmission of harmful energy waves. We have asked for more studies by the military and while they will be completed in early 2009, we’ve been told we cannot have access to them until they have been ‘analyzed’ and to our way of thinking, sanitized.

Medical literature reports a high incidence of facial and head burns being treated in military hospitals.. Recent tests have shown that the less-desirable GI pads are highly flammable, while those we send self-extinguish when exposed to flame. We've brought these findings to the attention of the military services, Congress and the various pad manufacturers. This is an important safety issue and one that could result in serious injury or death should a trooper be unable to quickly remove their helmet when an IED causes their vehicle to be embroiled in a burst of flame, setting the low-cost pads on fire. Reports from Afghanistan reveal the opposing forces now know to aim an RPG at the hood of armored vehicles, hoping to set them on fire.

We are encouraging the military to use at least the same helmet liner/pad flammability standards as NASCAR, whose flame testing is much more rigorous and aimed at uncovering even the slightest chance helmet lining/pad material might add to burn injuries.

We had a meeting with the Marines at their headquarters in  Quantico, VA recently and are pessimistic about their making any changes without further prodding by Congress. We met with the Army on 9 December in consort with staff from the House Armed Services Committee. The Army was likewise unreceptive to the idea that just maybe they should re-evaluate their decision to buy cheaper pads that the troops have so much trouble using. For years they also used the top-of-the-line Oregon Aero pads we send.  We included House Armed Services Committee staff in the meetings with Army and Marine leaders and hoped their presence would help bring about changes, but in the meantime we trudge on trying to get the best equipment available in the hands (actually, on the heads) of our troops quickly with the help of Great Americans like yourself.

I trust this explains why we’re still (reluctantly) in operation. When the military told Congress they’d take over our function, we had hoped we could wind down as the ramp-up to actual provision of top-of-the-line blast/impact protecting helmet pads began. Imagine our disappointment when the military suddenly switched to the lower grade substitute that actually endangers troops because of the distracting headaches they cause.

We would welcome your help keeping up pressure with the ‘new’ Congress as well as within the military itself to right this wrong. All the meetings and letters to Congress or the military don’t do a bit of good for the Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who is on patrol TODAY. The helmet pads you help us send do! Any time the military is willing to ‘save’ a couple of bucks and at the same time cost lives and futures of our warriors, it should be shouted from the tree-tops until someone steps in, usually Congress or a loud outcry from troops and their families, and forces them to do what’s right, not what’s expedient and/or self-serving.

Know that we don’t have a relationship with ANY helmet pad manufacturer other than to buy and send our warriors the very best head armor component we can find and to encourage manufacturers to re-engineer their pads to meet the same high standards we’ve set for wearability as well as protection.
As always, no salaries or fees are deducted, as we run this from our home office.

Doc Bob


Robert H. Meaders, MD, CAPT, Medical Corps, USN-Ret
Operation Helmet
www.operation-helmet.org



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