Reflective Moments

Great moments in reflective belt history November 2006

If not for the reflective belt, George Washington would have lost boats in the “fog of war,” thus rendering his crossing of the Delaware river pointless. 1775

The Confederacy might very well have won the American Civil War if General T.J. “Stonewall” Jackson had been wearing his reflective belt on that fateful evening in May of 1863. Unfortunately, he was not … and he was shot by his own men.

1876: A brilliant tactician, Gen. George Custer ordered his men to don their reflective belts at Little Big Horn to ensure the soldiers did not mistakenly shoot each other in the heat of battle … something we now know would not have made much of a difference.

From 1914 until mid-1918 our European Allies were locked in a stalemate of trench warfare. Enter the doughboys of the Allied Expeditionary Force who brought with them the power of the reflective belt. It has been said that the reflective belt was a key factor in Germany’s decision to surrender.

Normandy, June 6, 1944: Poor navigation, overrun drop zones and Nazi flak scattered the elite U.S. paratroopers throughout the French countryside. If not for their Army-issue reflective belts, they would have never been able to form LGOPs (Little Groups of Paratroopers), thus enabling them to complete their mission. LGOP: a small group of “pissed-off American paratroopers” who are well trained, armed to the teeth, and lack serious supervision. They collectively remember the commander's intent as, "March to the sound of guns, and kill anyone who isn't dressed like you ..."

“ And any sonofabitch in the 3rd Army who doesn’t wear his reflective belt is just as bad as a Nazi and will therefore be shot as a coward.” - Gen. George S. Patton

Iwo Jima, February 1945: A colorized version of this famous photo proves the theory that Joe Rosenthal would not have captured this great moment on film had the glare of reflective belts not caught his eye.

LZ X-Ray, 1967 Vietnam: The 1st Cavalry Division (and it’s flair for all things yellow) dons reflective belts to help pilots decide where to drop napalm.

The real reason behind America’s swift victory in the first Gulf War

Everyone is doing it… DSICLAIMER : The Halliburton Corporation is in no way connected to the manufacturing or distribution of reflective belts for the U.S. military … yet.

Questions?

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Reflective Moments

by mtairborne on Sep 10, 2009

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