IPOD saves soldiers life

[Smidget]

While authenicity is pending:

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/004037.html

" While the validity of this statement can be debated by many hard core iPod fans, in this one specific case it's true: The iPod really does saves lives, or at the very least, one life.

Kevin Garrard, a soldier in the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, was shot in the chest by an insurgent with an AK-47 at very close range. A bullet of this caliber at close range would normally pierce through body armor, but this was Kevin’s lucky day. He had his 20-gig iPod in his jacket pocket.

The bullet struck the iPod and slowed down the projectile enough that his body armor stopped the hot lead from piercing his chest. "




I believe "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benitar was playing.

[fleeingpepper]

I better tell my friend who's going to Iraq to carry his iPod in his pocket at all times. That's amazing.

[tigstah]

i saw that on the news. incredible....

[hitchface]

*buys an iPod, straps it to CPU in place of the Zalman cooler, shoots it with AK47*

Hey guys! It worked! Well, the CPU took the hit, but it didn't touch the motherboard!

"AMD X2 processor paired with an iPod saves motherboard in wild shootout."

[David M]

If true...that's great!

[Zelpo]

Amazing ... he better buy a lottery ticket when he gets back to the states!

[Disgrace]

Indeed it's really an incredible stroke of luck if it's true. I should carry my iPod in my shirt pocket now...

[HAL9000]

I find that doubtful at best. Having mentioned previously done steel work, I can tell you we supplied some of the back wall plate at the RCMP shooting range here in Regina... we're talking very high grade steel, thicker than an entire iPod. If it did stop it, I would say it was a fluke shot, from very long range where the bullet has lost a lot of its inertia and it was a freak accident. If you actually tried it, I'm sure you would be heading to the hospital quite quickly.

[mairving]

Yep the bullet went right through the Ipod and hit his bulletproof body armor...and the Ipod gets the credit for it. Amazing.

[HAL9000]

Go figure eh?

[fleeingpepper]

Yep...But an AK-47 shoots a 7.62 round, and my buddy in the Marines has a flak jacket (kevlar, whatever) and those protect up to 7.62, and the iPod MAY have slowed the bullet down enough so it hit more like a 5.56 round and the kevlar would've made more difference. I know the plates are rated at 7.62, but I wouldn't like to test that.

[Mr.Ferrari]

I agree with the above..The Ipod prolly made the bullet keyhole or wobble, making the bullet penetrate ineffectively..

Doubt that a 7.62 going full on would not have probably come close too if not penetrated, iPod or not. Then again, the ak rounds you usually see being fired by iraqi's are exactly of highest quality..

[Jester]

SAPI plates (what we where in our vest) Level 4 are rated to get hit 3 times with a 7.62 "bal"l round. The problem is that the 7.62 rounds that are being used are not ball rounds. They have a sharper lead tip. The iPod would "round out" the bullet thus increasing the effectiveness of the SAPI plate.

[Jaggannath]

To be honest, I'm still extremely dubious an iPod would have made a jot of difference to 7.62, especially at very close range as the quote claims

[Brad the best]

that poor fellow there is no way they will give him warranty for that , they wont even fix mine with a scratch on the back .

[Jester]

Heck if this whole thing is true they will give him a new one just for good PR.

[Kuch]

The Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) should have stopped the bullet. Newer generations of the SAPI are rated to absorbs hotter/more rounds. This bullet being stopped is believable, even without the IPod as a factor. Attributing the lack of penetration to the IPod is folly.

[hitchface]

While I am also quite sure that he iPod had no part in stopping said round, I think it's cool anyways. They had better give him a new one.

"We are incredibly sorry for your loss, sir. We do not cover enemy gunfire damage in our limited warranty."

Still can't believe that nobody wonders if he shot the iPod himself.

[Force Flow]

Diehard iPod fanatics will jump all over these sort of things, and as a result, they gain notice and get spread around. Imagine if this happened to a Zune or River or something. I bet you wouldn't have heard a peep about it.

[Brad the best]

ill test to see how my 20 gig will hold up to my .308 if they don't fix it .

[Mac Medic]

Wow, I'll bet my MacBook would stop a tank round then!. And I heard that the aluminum MacBook pros make pretty good bomb shelters.

[Smidget]

I myself doubt he took the bullet straight on. Perhaps at an angle as it says they met each other around a corner, or perhaps an old dust filled AK??

Either way it would probably not be the same caliber as a myth busters scenario or a scenario that had thought put into it . They guy probably wanted more than 15 minutes of fame so hyped up the IPOD's significance.

[Jester]

"UPDATE: April 9th: Some new information about Kevin Garrard, the soldier whose life was allegedly saved by an iPod that took a bullet. Nik Wilets, the blogger who first posted the story, got in contact with soldier Garrad. After getting an overwhelming response from the blog and photos he posted, Nik asked Kevin for clarification on exactly what happened.

Kevin said that the photos are true and the iPod did take a bullet, but it didn't save his life. He was wearing upgraded body armor that easily stopped the AK-47 bullet. Kevin didn't realize he was shot and that his iPod was broken until he returned back to base. He put on his headphones to listen to music while cleaning his weapon. When the music failed to play, he pulled out his iPod to figure out why. That is when he realized the iPod took a bullet, and he had been shot"


From the linked article.

[LeftyAce]

Didn't notice he'd been shot? Dang. THAT's some body armor.

[HAL9000]

OK, now that story makes a bit more sense.

[Kuch]

Getting hit with an AK-47 round while wearing an Interceptor vest (with SAPI) is still like getting hit in the chest with a sledge hammer (reportedly). I don't see how he wouldn't notice.

[hitchface]

Could have very well been a ricochet. That would have impeded the round's velocity by a fair bit.

[Jester]

There is a video of an Army Medic standing next to his vehicle. He then takes a round to the chest and it knocks his butt to the ground. He got up and ran behind the vehichle. Some how I think that guy noticed he got shot. Just like any good story the truth is buried deep.