More historical information about this vest and other US body armor systems can be found here: https://arsof-history.org/articles/19oct_body_armor_page_1.html
Woodland:
Shown with all accessories attached. Item is no longer in collection.
Vest:
Has MOLLE webbing on outside for attaching pouches. BALCS-cut Level 3a soft armor (protects against threats up to 9mm pistol) inside of “bags” with additional room for hard SAPI plates (protects against rifle rounds).
Opening:
Opens like a 20th Century Flak Jacket. Right side flap (as worn) has an internal pocket with a webbing strap inside.
Inside:
1 inch internal webbing loops used to attach accessories.
Tag:
Collar:
Collar throat protector is a two piece design.
Front Throat Protector:
Back Throat Protector:
Groin Protector:
Soft Armor Insert:
All parts of the vest have this type of Level 3a soft armor insert inside, cut to fit the appropriate cavity.
Tag:
Usage Photos:
Despite being a sub-optimal color for the desert terrain commonly found in Iraq and Afghanistan, Woodland OTV’s (Outer Tactical Vest, see vest label picture) were commonly issued to US forces early in the War on Terror.
Afghanistan:
March 4, 2002: Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), scan the ridgeline for enemy forces during Operation Anaconda (U.S. Army photo/Spc. David Marck Jr., from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soldiers_from_the_1st_Battalion,_187th_Infantry_Regiment,_101st_Airborne_Division_(Air_Assault),_scan_the_ridgeline_for_enemy_forces_during_Operation_Anaconda,_March_4,_2002.jpg). November 7, 2002: An Afghan man and his son watch as soldiers from the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division prepare to sweep their home in southeastern Afghanistan. Soldiers discovered over a dozen mines and grenades, 14 rocket propelled grenades, and plastic explosives as they searched several compounds as part of Operation Alamo Sweep (Photo by Scott Nelson/Getty Images, from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katebubacz/war-in-afghanistan-ending-photos). March 11, 2002: U.S. Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain and the 101st Airborne units disembark from a Chinook helicopter as they return to Bagram airbase from the fighting in eastern Afghanistan. The soldiers are part of an organized pull back from the battle against al Qaeda and Taliban forces during Operation Anaconda (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images, from https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/01/politics/us-military-bagram-airfield-afghanistan/index.html).
Iraq (2003 Invasion):
March 21, 2003: U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment escort captured enemy prisoners of war to a holding area in the desert of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom is the multinational coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein. (DoD photo 030321-M-3692W-053 by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe, U.S. Marine Corps, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S.Marines_with_Iraqi_POWs-_March_21,_2003.jpg). Southern Iraq, Apr. 2, 2003: U.S. Army Sgt. Mark Phiffer stands guard duty near a burning oil well in the Rumaylah Oil Fields in Southern Iraq. Coalition forces have successfully secured the southern oil fields for the economic future of the Iraqi people and are in the process of extinguishing the burning wells that were set ablaze in the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom is the multi-national coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein. (U.S. Navy photo 030402-N-5362A-004 by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Arlo K. Abrahamson from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_030402-N-5362A-004_U.S._Army_Sgt._Mark_Phiffer_stands_guard_duty_near_a_burning_oil_well_in_the_Rumaylah_Oil_Fields_in_Southern_Iraq.jpg)