Was the “iPod with a bullet” story faked? [UPDATED]
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
In response to the publicity surrounding the recent photos going around of the soldier who’s iPod stopped a bullet (and possibly saved his life) there are now some questions being raised as to how authentic the story might be.
Macenstein reader Master Gunner had this to say:
“I’m gonna call “bulls**t” on this one. As a fourteen-year Army careerist (two tours in Iraq), the “Pod was in my jacket” thing doesn’t hold water. OTV/IBA (Outer Tactical Vest/ Interceptor Ballistic Armor) doesn’t HAVE jacket pockets. The only pockets it has are the pockets that hold the SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) plates in place.
SO… if it was “in his jacket”, it would have actually been in his uniform pocket, UNDER the OTV/IBA. So the bullet would have hit the plate FIRST, then the iPod. And… the bullet, even if it HAD penetrated the SAPI plate (unlikely, but not unheard of), would have lost so much velocity it would have (at the most) lodged itself in the iPod, not gone clean through (and he wouldn’t be in the picture smiling).
Nope. He got tired of his iPod and wanted to get his fifteen minutes of fame. So he shot his iPod and made the story up.
It’s already been debunked on other sites.
(But it DOES make for a pretty good story, even if it’s false).
Hooah.”
He makes a good point. While it is possible that the story is true and is just losing some of the details via being told “telephone style” from soldier-to-doctor-to-witness-to-author, the story as it stands now seems a little off.
However, as Apple fanboys, we WANT to believe this story so much, that until someone is willing to video themselves reenacting the shooting, we’re going to choose to believe the soldier’s story. It seems a long way to go to try to get a free $349 iPod.
[UPDATE:] Some new information about the iPod soldier has surfaced, allegedly coming from the original poster who now claims to have tracked down Kevin Garrad, the soldier in question. It provides a bit of clarification, and confirms Apple has sent him a new iPod. Not sure if this will quell the skeptics, as I have no military background to draw from, but seems like Kevin’s story is likely legit.
It’s not that long a road to get a free iPod. One bullet provided by Uncle Sam vs. One iPod provided by Uncle Jobs. The math seems simple.
The real problem is that now I’m gonna have to scrap my designs for a flak jacket made entirely of iPods.
So some dude thinks he can guess exactly what kind of jacket another dude was wearing, and exactly how he was wearing it, thousands of miles of way. And he thinks he can be sure enough about this guess to call the other dude a liar — because they were both in the army? I mean, I know the army tries to make people’s habits all alike, but the open secret of course is that they don’t actually succeed. But this guy thinks that he knows what’s happening in every corner. This is the problem with human beings: they like to build their “knowledge” with one assumption on top of another, and when they get to the top of this shaky pile of uncertainties what’s the first thing they do? Start pointing fingers. Especially when they’re anonymous fingers. The phrase “no honour” comes to mind.
typical AKM bullet will go through this piece of plastics and tin-can-alike-steel as hot knife would go through butter. And if the guy was accidentally not in flak vest but in full-assault armor – he would stay in hospital for very long period out of shock and numerous broken bones for quit a long period.
And DBL is trying to save poor boy ass 😉
Ahem…
http://www.therawfeed.com/2007/04/ipod-did-not-save-soldiers-life.html
Enjoy.
(and I’m not thousands of miles away. I’m in Baghdad.)
that’s pretty damn impressive body armor that allows you to get shot with an AK-47 and not even feel it!
You mean, if someone rounds the corner with a gun, and shoots you, you don’t even feel the impact, like a “thud”-type hit?
No pressure at all?
Wow.
I know movies aren’t a good representation f real life, but when someone wearing a vest in SWAT or some such film, they fall down, get the wind knocked out of them, get spun around, SOMETHING.
Another thing no one has even contested:
How do you wear a jacket over Interceptor OTV (Body Armor)?
There’s a reason it’s called an OUTER Tactical Vest.
>OTV/IBA (Outer Tactical Vest/ Interceptor Ballistic Armor) doesn’t HAVE
>jacket pockets. The only pockets it has are the pockets that hold the SAPI
>(Small Arms Protective Insert) plates in place
It sure as hell has molle mount points. Perhaps his “pocket” is a small molle-compatible pocket (aftermarket) like the one I keep MY mp3 player in.
Concieveable…
But then it wouldn’t be a “jacket over his flack vest”, would it?
And for the record, I don’t take my iPod with me when I leave the wire.