Gavin D. Posted December 17, 2016 Share #1 Posted December 17, 2016 Hi all, A friend of mine has this armor vest that I believe it to be from the Vietnam war period. It is made by the American Body Armor Inc. It is made out of waterproof material. Could this have been an experimental vest? I have been unlucky in finding anything on this vest so any help would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BagmanL6 Posted December 17, 2016 Share #2 Posted December 17, 2016 Good afternoon. Is it an insert for body armor or the whole "vest". Could you post some pics of the other side and maybe of it closed? ABA is known for making body armor for elite type units a few years back. I could be wrong but this might be closer to modern vice Vietnam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share #3 Posted December 17, 2016 I actually don't have the vest but when I meet up with my friend next I will take more photos of it and post them. The back of the vest had a small back plate that was a little bigger than the length of the "body armor Inc." writing on the vest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted December 17, 2016 It is the whole vest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted December 17, 2016 Share #5 Posted December 17, 2016 Gavin, Please post some better photos when you can. This has me intrigued. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share #6 Posted December 17, 2016 Hi nkomo, I will definitely do that, but it will be in a couple weeks when I see my friend again. I will make sure to take lots of detailed photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted December 18, 2016 Share #7 Posted December 18, 2016 "Founded in 1969, American Body Armor (ABA™), became one of the very first modern body armor-producing companies in the world when it introduced a patented combination of nylon and steel plates. Vastly more flexible and wearable than its predecessors, ABA‘s first bullet resistant vest took the industry in new directions. Nearly 40 years after its founding, ABA continues to be the most trusted name in body armor." I'm guessing it's not Vietnam era, as the company didn't exist till 1969. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLegGI Posted December 18, 2016 Share #8 Posted December 18, 2016 I'm guessing it's not Vietnam era, as the company didn't exist till 1969. Combat operations were still active until 73 after which our role became support. We withdrew completely in 75 after over ten years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share #9 Posted January 7, 2017 Here are more photos of the vest. It does have good age to it in person. I took photos of the stitching and maybe that will help possibly determine the era of the vest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share #10 Posted January 7, 2017 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted May 14, 2017 Author Share #11 Posted May 14, 2017 Thought I'd bring this back to the top if someone possibly has any info on the vest. I tried contacting safariland group which ABA is now apart of. Unfortunately they don't have any records that go back into the Vietnam period to 1970s to see if this vest is one of their early prototypes of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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