Shrapnel Protection...

I was good friends with a high ranking officer in the Air Force that flew recon missions in Nam. His job was to fly in a "one seater"; along the winding rivers; "low enough to see any gun installations or other signs of the enemy. High enough to stay out of the water.

He said he was issued a "flack jacket" that he refused to wear. When asked why, he explained that the enemy always "shot up" at his plane so he learned it was a good idea to use the jacket as a seat cushion. I think he called it earning a purple heart "the hard way."