US Marine Corps Combat Helmet with Night Vision Scope

Object Details

Mathieson, Greg

Description

This combat helmet was used by NBC photographer Greg Mathieson in 2003, during the beginning of the ground war in Iraq. It is a Personnel Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) helmet, also known as a "K-Pot" or a "FRITZ", which was developed by the US military in the 1970s to replace the M1 helmet worn by soldiers during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The PASGT helmet was designed to fit the individual soldier, unlike the "one size fits all" M-1; it comes in four sizes: extra-small, small, medium, and large¹;. The shell of the helmet is made of Kevlar to provide increased ballistic protection. As is common practice for soldiers in combat, the user's blood type, "B", is written on the cover.

The pattern of the helmet cover is a pixilated camouflage pattern known as Marine Disruptive Pattern (MARPAT), created by the United States Marine Corps for use with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU). MARPAT became standard issue in 2002. This is the desert pattern as is the woodland pattern, but the urban pattern has not been authorized by the Marine Corps for wear.

Atop the helmet is mounted an AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD). This devise is used in observation and command and control missions, and may be hand-held, head-mounted, helmet-mounted, or attached to a rifle. In this instance, the night vision was employed by the user, a news photographer, to produce nighttime video footage of combat actions.

¹ According to the book, The Personnel Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) Helmet (Schiffer Military Press, 1999), the helmet fits 98 percent of all U.S. Army personnel, with the medium size fitting approximately 50 percent of all soldiers.

Credit Line

Gift of Greg Mathieson

ID Number

2004.0170.10

catalog number

2004.0170.10

accession number

2004.0170

Object Name

Helmet, combat

Physical Description

kevlar (helmet material)

resin (helmet material)

rubber (helmet material)

cotton (helmet material)

leather (helmet material)

nylon (helmet material)

metal (helmet material)

metal (scope material)

plastic (scope material)

glass (scope material)

Measurements

overall: 7 3/4 in x 10 3/16 in x 15 3/4 in; 19.685 cm x 25.908 cm x 40.005 cm

See more items in

Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military

Military

Artifact Walls exhibit

Exhibition

Artifact Walls

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

related event

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Record ID

nmah_1274348

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-6911-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa