Hooley demands better helmets for troops in Iraq

Pentagon reduces standards for helmet padding, increasing risk of brain injury or death for troops fighting overseas

Representative Darlene Hooley has proposed a bill in Congress that would require the Department of Defense to reimburse soldiers serving in Iraq who choose to purchase helmet padding that is superior to their standard-issue equipment.

"This is one of those issues that makes my blood boil," said Hooley. "The Defense Department decided to lower the standards that they use for helmet padding in November 2004."

The dispute is reminiscent of an issue that emerged during the early stages of the Iraq War, when troops were not provided with adequate body armor. In response, families purchased the armor themselves and sent it to their loved ones serving overseas.

"We struggled to get them the best body armor available, because they had inferior armor when they first went over there," Hooley said. "The people that we put in harm’s way deserve to have the best available gear."

She explained that the protective padding that soldiers wear inside their helmets is rated for the amount of force that it transfers to the wearer’s head during an explosion – measured against the force of Earth’s gravity, known as g-force. The higher the number, the less protection the padding provides.

"The old standard was 150 g-forces on the helmet, but the Defense Department raised that to 300 g-forces," said Hooley. "At that 300 g-force rating, if you get hit in the head, you’re dead. At the 150 g-force level, you probably have a brain injury."

Read the rest at the Clackamas Times