Why don't soldiers wear bullet proof vest in war?

They do wear bullet proof vests, however, they don't cover the whole body, mostly the chest and back. At any rate most of the young men have died and been maimed by bombs that traumatize the whole body.

I sincerely hope that Skip does not have to face military service but the time he is old enough to be concerned having to make such choices. Tell him to concentrate on getting a good education and planning a life away from wars.

They do wear Kevlar vests, but if a bullet comes straight to their face, they have no protection.

And those roadside bombs are treacherous.

Tell Skip that war is not healthy for children and other living things.

Even back in the 60's we had flak jackets. You should have seen my gear with a plate in the front and back. Too heavy for a ground pounder. Our guys have the best in technology.

A bullet proof vest is little protection and can be pierced by high caliber.

Our military members do wear protective gear when in a combat zone, including vests, other body armor, helmets, and other protective equipment. These things reduce the chance of death or serious injury, but do not eliminate risks completely. Not even a tank or armored personnel carrier is 100% effective, sad to say.

Look closely at photos and news stories, you'll notice the protective equipment. I have photos of my daughter wearing her armor as she distributed items to children in an Afghan village when she was deployed there with the USAF in 2005.

In a war zone, they do. Osprey - as others have said. the majority of British deaths are from IEDs to which a bullet proof vest will only provide protection to the major chest organs, not the major arteries in the legs and neck, not to mention associated head and facial injuries and the trauma of the explosion itself.

Soldiers in Iraq out on patrol are wearing kevlar vests. Sadly, the vests will not protect you from an 155 mm artillery shell buried in a street and set off by a signal. Also, every piece of protective equipment has a thresh-hold of abuse that it can withstand.

they do wear them. now. they didn't in wars past though. of course, no vest will protect you from a roadside bomb anyway. and i think skip is way to young to watch movies where a people get shot to death.

Taking a bullet is only one way a soldier is wounded or killed. . Concussion when a charge is detonated kills many. I suspect that the cost of levelar vest for all combat zone personnel is not cost feasible. Also the calibre of bullets is considered when in a combat zone. .

Soldiers, Marines, and Sailors (two U.S. Navy friends are in country Iraq right now...EOD) wear body armor. But that does not protect their face, neck, arms and legs (there are main arteries in our legs and a wound serious enough in an arm will cause one to bleed to death). .

A few of the guys at the VA hospital told me they did have vests. Its is just that the ordinance that they are up against is unpredictable - very explosive with much sharpnel. War is a terrible thing.