Century-old army helmet still offers
the best blast protection

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

Scientists have found that the current United States Army helmet provides no better blast protection than its First World War predecessors and, indeed, the vintage French helmet was actually better than the modern American design.

The biomedical engineers from Duke University in Durham, N.C., hope the results of their study will inform future helmet designs, making them more protective, particularly against shockwaves, known as primary blasts.

“Major improvements made in helmet technology to increase ballistic protection do not provide the same increase in blast protection,” the study concludes.

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Canadians’ baptism of fire

Story by Sharon Adams

The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry got its first taste of battle in the Boer War on the murderous Bloody Sunday in mid-February 1900 at Paardeberg Drift, which claimed 1,300 British casualties, including 18 dead and 60 wounded Canadians.

Within 10 days the regiment was to receive much of the credit for the first significant British victory of the war.

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February 28, 1991

Following Iraqi defeat and retreat from Kuwait, U.S. President George H.W. Bush announces a ceasefire and Operation Desert Storm, the combat phase of the Persian Gulf War, ends.

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How to beat the bomber

Story by Sharon Adams

Ten years ago on Feb. 19, an improvised explosive device was found under a major road in Afghanistan.

The device was placed about 10 metres down a small culvert—out of reach of equipment, impossible to shield. A robot couldn’t finish the job. There was nothing for it but to send in someone—a volunteer—to defuse the nasty thing.

Corporal Dale Kurdziel put up his hand. He had only been in the country a few months, on his first tour to Afghanistan, working with the counter-IED task force.

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Art exhibition reflects a changing environment
and the military’s evolving role

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

A new exhibition of works by artists “commissioned” by the Defence Department reflects Canada’s changing environment and the evolving roles of the country’s military in the wake of an intense 13 years fighting a war in Afghanistan.

Six civilian artists made up the eighth group to participate in the non-paying Canadian Forces Artists Program since 2001. A selection of their work—22 photographs, three videos, and a drawing—is on display in the Canadian War Museum’s Exhibition Hall until May 18.

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February 18, 1942

Newfoundlanders rescue 185 from U.S. warships driven onto the rocks in a storm; 203 perish.

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