MovieChat Forums > Battle for Haditha (2008) Discussion > outfitting

outfitting

posted 16 years ago by SEVEREcritic
3 replies | jump to latest

were the costumes accurate? i thought they looked a little 'tacticool'. idunno, i wouldn't know i guess. but they looked like they were straight out of a video game. by the way, does anybody know what the hump-like thing on the back of the body armour is? the thing that looks like it has a giant pouch with a canteen cap on the top facing out. secondly how bullet proof is a bullet proof vest exactly? i mean people still die after getting shot through them, right?

laziest guy on God's good earth? ME!

[–] Marmike600 16 years ago

Actually the "costumes" were completely accurate. The actors were exclusively prior active duty Marines. The video games closely emulate how Marines wear their gear. Most Marines actually suplement their gear with items that they personally bought such as goggles, knives, etc as the need presents itself.

The hump thing on their back is called a Camel Back. It is a very convenient way to carry drinking water. It is attached to a tube that is slung over or under the arm and clipped to the front of the tactical vest.

The "Bullet Proof Vests" are not that at all. The vest is whats called a Flak Jacket. It was first used by bomber crews in WWII. It keeps low velocity flak or fragments from grenades from penetrating the torso. Modern flak jackets have steel or ceramic plates that make them bullet resistant but as with every armor in history there are places where you can still be wounded while wearing it. A new version was introduced recently called Dragon Skin. This body armor tested out to be far superior to what is currently used but as is often the case a kick back was probably forwarded on to a politician by the original armor's maker and the Dragon Skin project was scrapped.

Any further questions please feel free to ask. Five years active duty Marine Corps has given me a certain level of expertise that I am happy to share.

[–] SEVEREcritic 16 years ago

yeah thanks a lot. i've heard of Dragon Skin on Discovery Future Weapons. i saw that was very resiliant - they blew up a grenade right under it and nothing happened. the one worn now is a Interceptor or something right? i dunno the only game in which i've seen marines (modern) is call of duty 4 which they say is very very accurate (except smoke grenades don't spread that fast and Javelins dont go up that high). so is the Army, for instance, allowed to 'personalize' their gear as well? also the MARPAT uniform - without bias - is it better than the ACU? i mean they were made at pretty much the same time with i'm guessing similar research, but two very different results...
one question that i did have - here and in for Jarhead was about the stereotyped Marine behaviour - brash, loud, rude, ill-mannered, arrogant...as compared to 'others' who are more 'gentlemanly'. i'm sure that's not true, but where did the image come from?
laziest guy on God's good earth? ME!

[–] Marmike600 16 years ago

Yes the one that is in use now is called the Interceptor. True about the smoke grenades and javelins.

Most of the Army is allowed to personalize their gear. The ultimate decision is the Commands of course (some units are stricter than others with uniformity) but my brother is army and he buys his own goggles, combat knives, camel backs, flash lights, etc.

The MARPAT and ACU are both based on the same premise. The objective of camo is to break up the outline of the human body to make them less noticeable as such. The digitized camo of today just breaks it down a little farther. The digi camo is actually pretty hard for someone to aim in on looking thru a rifle sight. The pattern confuses the eye/optical info to the brain. You just cant seem to focus on it as well. The MARPAT did come first but the other branches pretty much took the concept and ran with it.

As for Marine behavior, the Marine Corps prides itself on being the finest non-special ops fighting force in the U.S./World. We have an outstanding history of victory that is pounded into the heads of each recruit in bootcamp. Along with that history comes a certain amount of pride that in some cases turns into a little bit of arrogance. The Army started out as the elite land owning upper class of the post revolution United States. The Marine Corps, however, started in a bar in Pennsylvania. There are bad apples (loud, obnoxious, etc) in every branch.

The important thing I think, is to be glad the Marines are a little arrogant. It is that arrogance, pride, and Esprit de Corps that makes Marines unable to accept defeat and allows them to overcome any adversity.