FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, June 11, 2015) -- It has been five years since Staff Sgt. Joseph A. Mata of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division saw the Army-issued helmet that saved his life in Afghanistan.
Handed the dented, battle-scarred Advanced Combat Helmet in a ceremony held June 11 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Mata recalled the day his Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, and rolled nearly 15 feet.
As chief of a Combat Observer Lasing Team with the 2-506th, Mata and the three Soldiers under his command began patrolling for a reported IED near Khan, Afghanistan, Sept. 16, 2010, as they would any other day.
"[The IED] wasn't where it was supposed to be. It was farther down the road," Mata remembers of the moments just before the explosion.
The enemy-detonated bomb threw the heavy vehicle almost five yards. The blast blew off the MRAP's rear axle and shredded the hatch.
It was Mata's helmet that saved him from potential skull-crushing blows as the vehicle rolled.
"The only thing I remember was waking up -- I was out cold at first. I was in a lot of pain all down my right side," Mata recalled.
Mata has survived five IED attacks, marking him as an ACE. Mata describes this fifth attack as the "most painful" and traumatic.
He intends to add the helmet and accompanying plaque to his "man room" where he displays other memorabilia. Its spot in the room will serve as a jumping off point for the story of just how this piece of equipment saved his life.
Also reunited with the gear that saved his life was 1st Lt. Sean H. Johnson of Battery B, 2nd Battalion of the 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Johnson had joined a foot patrol in Afghanistan after the American convoy he'd been traveling with was struck by enemy IEDs.
"It was a very complex situation. We were on the way back from capturing the bad guy when we were targeted," Johnson said.
Johnson was hurled through the air when a fellow Soldier, Sgt. Corey B. Carver, stepped on a homemade mine. Carver was killed instantly while Johnson's right side was impaled by flying shrapnel.
"I just woke up and looked down and saw the lower half of my body covered with deep black smoke," Johnson recalled. "I pushed back and was relieved to see I had my feet."
Suffering wounds to his right arm and leg, Johnson's helmet and side armor plates bore the brunt of the hailing steel.
The ballistic nape protector on Johnson's helmet slowed down a ball bearing that struck him at the base of the neck, allowing doctors to dig it out of his flesh. Another potentially lethal piece of shrapnel was halted by the Enhanced Side Ballistic Insert armor plate in his Improved Outer Tactical Vest, or IOTV. That plate was returned to Johnson in Thursday's ceremony.
"I was that close to having a really bad day. I'm just humbled by how lucky I was," Johnson said.
Capt. Alex A. Kaivan, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, was with Johnson in June 2013, and assisted in disabling four of the 10 IEDs discovered. Describing the experience as a "long 60 hours," Kaivan lauds the equipment for saving Johnson's life. He recalled that even those killed in action that day were survived by their equipment.
"We can see what this equipment can do. [The Soldiers] see real stories of how it can save their life," Kaivan said.
Each Soldier's equipment was taken for analysis by the Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, which is responsible for developing body armor, helmets, uniforms and small arms for Soldiers. PEO Soldier performed forensic engineering analysis on behalf of the Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat Program, or JTAPIC, to determine the equipment's efficacy.
Presenting each Soldier with his gear and an accompanying plaque was Lt. Col. Brendan C. Raymond and Master Sgt. Michael J. Hildebrand, of the 101st Airborne Division. Joining them from PEO Soldier was Capt. Michael A. Gold, the assistant product manager for hard armor for Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment.
"These ceremonies are important because they recognize the hardship and sacrifice endured by our Soldiers," Gold said. "It's a testament to the hard work of members of PEO Soldier who ensure the best equipment is procured, tested and placed in the hands of our warfighters."
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