Technology
Laptop ‘Armor’ Saves U.S. Soldier: Computer Stops Six Bullets
- Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:45pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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Next time you call HP customer service to complain about your laptop’s performance, the following piece from The Consumerist will make you think twice about what your notebook might actually be good for!
From The Consumerist:
We get a lot of complaints from readers about their HP computers and the company’s customer service. But one person who won’t be complaining is the U.S. soldier whose HP notebook took six bullets intended for him.
The soldier who sent these images to HP was stationed in Afghanistan when he came under enemy fire. Two bullets hit his shoulder but the other six bullets that hit him were stopped by the notebook in his backpack.
HP sent the soldier a new one and, at his request, let him keep the one pictured here.
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Comments (84)
oldsoldier10
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 7:01amseriously…. who has not wanted to shoot an HP pc before?
Report Post »Seabee79
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 6:57amNot a very good shot grouping.
Report Post »proliance
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 8:05amTo me that group raises more questions than it answers. It looks like handgun rounds fired from about 10 ft. A rifle would penetrate completely unless it was at a great distance. But it wouldn’t group like that unless the soldier wanted to stand still while a Taliban slowly and carefully shot at him from 300 meters.
Report Post »kennycannon
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 6:35amMy Macbook would stop an RPG. :)
I’m glad the soldier is OK. God Bless our troops!
Report Post »Larryjr
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 6:34amThat’s just plain freakin awesome no matter which way you slice it. And I own an HP on top of it it!
Report Post »Northstar96sc
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 6:03amI am not a HP computer fan- I am a HP printer/scanner fan. I am grateful to HP for this Warrior’s life. WELL DONE HP
Report Post »(Thank you Lord)
apollo18
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 5:07amAn enemy shot a group that tight? With their standard-issue AK? At what distance? …… shot a group that tight? Over what time frame? I have serious doubts…… Are those pistol rounds? What am I missing?
Report Post »BuckleUpAmerica
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:44amThat’s one hell-of-a firewall!
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:03amWatch your cat-vidoes on Youtube in bullet-proof peace! haha
Thanks for saving an American hero, HP!
Report Post »zoo9guy
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:11amFinally….something that HP laptops are good for. I’m sad he took two to the shoulder, but glad he lived to tell the story!
Report Post »peteto1
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:00amHe should name his new notebook “Carly” !! I have a whole new level of respect for my HP computer…….
Report Post »Paul_ Revere
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:55amWhen I was younger I thought computer laptops were the greatest thing ever ,then I thought differently because how they effected peoples lives and replace people with the machine and left people jobless, now this story changed my mind once again simply because this one laptop saved the life of a soldier.
Report Post »scoter
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:40amOBAMA got to be a one timer. OBAMA got to be a one timer!!!!!
Report Post »Midwest Blonde
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:36amI’m curious if anyone knows what part of the computer is in the first picture?? Hard drive and battery (next two pictures) will stop a battery.
(Mythbusters did a study of a laptop stopping a bullet…. hard drive and battery is the only stopping-the bullet part of the computer they found.)
Report Post »proliance
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 7:58amThe first pic is the display after it’s been removed. The second isn’t the hard drive, it’s the optical drive.
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:28amGod Bless the soldier, and great job HP!
Report Post »ISRAELISOURFRIEND
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:15amGod bless our soldiers!
God wake up the atheists who sleep!
AMEN!
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:11amTaking bullets is about the only thing an HP computer is good for. I’ve had two and they were both riddled with hardware bugs that made them unusable.
Report Post »Midwest Blonde
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:39amMy boss just bought an HP and he’s had nothing but trouble with it. In 2 months, he’s spent at least 45 hours on the phone with tech support. Not god.
Report Post »Delta D-5-3
Posted on June 29, 2011 at 10:20amHmmmm, i’ve used them now for over ten years. Been EXTREMELY reliable for me. Guess I’ve been lucky? Give me a break. I here the same thing about Apple, Dell, or any other “fill in the blank” manufacture.
Report Post »Kekaha
Posted on June 29, 2011 at 8:40pmIronically, when I was ramping up for our last deployment (JUL 09), I bought an HP laptop to take with me. That decision was mostly based on the graphics processor and not the ballistic protection, but I have not had any real issues with it and it’s going on two years now (that’s really old in laptop years)
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:45pmPraise God! That HP saved his life which is so cool, considering the fact that most of the soldiers on the battlefield hate their HP’s & the service they don’t get from HP. They generally end up firing missiles at them or shooting them to pieces. … and then sending pictures of the dead machines to HP.
Report Post »Cherynn
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:39pmThank you HP for saving one of our GREAT AMERICAN HEROS!!!!!!!!
Report Post »SilentReader
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:22pmNow I’ll know what to do with my HP laptop. Wow! Who would have thought it would stop bullets? It’s great that this hero was saved by HP!
Congratulations, U.S. soldier. I guess we all know what this guy will be carrying in his backpack for the rest of his life.
Love it!
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:14pmI bet this is one guy who won’t be rushing out to buy an I Pod.
Report Post »God bless him….
TheGreyPiper
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:07pmThe Ballad of Soulful Sam
Robert Service
You want me to tell you a story, a yarn of the firin’ line,
…
Just order another drink, boys, and I’ll tell you of Soulful Sam.
… it plugged ‘im ’ard on the chest,
Just where ‘e’d tracts for a army corps stowed away in ‘is vest.
On its mission of death that bullet ‘ustled along, and it caved
A ‘ole in them tracts to ’is ‘ide, boys — but the life o’ me pal was saved.
And there as ‘e showed me in triumph, and ‘orror was chokin’ me breath,
On came another bullet on its ‘orrible mission of death;
On through the night it cavorted, seekin‘ its ’aven of rest,
And it zipped through a crack in the sandbags,
and it wolloped me bang on the breast.
…
Yes, that was a terrible moment. It ‘ammered me ’ard o‘er the ’eart;
It bowled me down like a nine-pin, and I looked for the gore to start;
And I saw in the flash of a moment, in that thunder of hate and strife,
Me wretched past like a pitchur — the sins of a gambler’s life.
For I ‘ad no tracts to save me, to thwart that mad missile’s doom;
I ‘ad no pious pamphlets to ’elp me to cheat the tomb;
I ‘ad no ’oly leaflets to baffle a bullet’s aim;
I’d only — a deck of cards, boys, but . . . IT SEEMED TO DO JUST THE SAME.
http://www.fullbooks.com/Rhymes-of-a-Red-Cross-Man-by-Robert-W2.html
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:57pmKnew those Apples were good for something! Hey, that’s progress, in the old war stories, the Bible in the guy’s pocket never stopped but one bullet!
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:28amsame with zippo’s
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:55pmwow what can HP do for you .
Report Post »I’m glad he made it .
GOD Bless our Heroes .
Psychosis
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:55pmSomeone was watching over this young man
God bless our servicemen
Report Post »Delta D-5-3
Posted on June 29, 2011 at 10:14amCEMERIOUS………..”Let‘s see if it’s not the ‘wimpy’ 5.56 rd”…..ummmm, WHAT?? Yea, it’s soooo “wimpy” it’s used by over 50 militarys in the world. You musk be an AK guy, lol. But, hey…thanks for the laugh this morning!
Report Post »drumsalot5
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:53pmSweet. . . I’m glad my laptop is an HP. . .
Report Post »Ironmaan
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:17pmWho needs kevlar.
Report Post »http://guerillatics.com
sooner12
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:20pmMy laptop is an ASUS, which I like better than my old HP, but I don’t need to stop bullits.
Nevertheless, HP served him well both in actual physical protection and for them replacing his “used” computer which I see as not their responsibility but certainly generous. So, Kuddos to HP.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:56pmI have to admit, I love notebooks, and now one more reason has been added to their usage…good job in the design of it indeed!
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:00am.
I’m thankful to that young man. He’s there so I can sit here and try to be clever in peace….
May God Bless each one of you and keep you safe.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:01am@Ironmann
Indeed, who needs kevlar; though it is still nice to know it protects the soldiers in addition to the PC notebooks…maybe this will be a new trend for recycling old PCs…body armor…
Report Post »bubbie
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:19amMe too!
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:23amThe laptop I am on is x military (AMREL) built like a tank. Not sure if it would stop a bullet.
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:48amSpank That was very well said and and I agree. That really brings it home doesn’t it? He really is risking everything for us and we really do not think about that and just how thankful we should be.We take so much for granted but now is one time we should all stop and thank God for protecting Him and Him for protecting us. May God Bless You All.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:14amLOL .. my new laptop is an HP .. maybe not “bulletproof” but darn close I would say. Nice that they replaced it for him .. excellent advertising!
Report Post »the hawk
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:49amI want one asap , wonder if it comes with a strap holder to wear it under my shirt ?
Report Post »fatpatriot
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 5:57am@spankdamonkey
Report Post »Well put!!! I do something I call “the bandit free meal”. About twice a month if I’m in a restaurant and I see military in uniform I ask my server to bring me their check and to please not tell them who did it. I ask the server to tell them it was done by a grateful citizen. Sometimes for Law enforcement as well. Then sit and watch their reaction. It is priceless!!!
chazman
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 7:14amHey HP!! Getcha a case of beer for that one!
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 8:06amhope this is for real…..I remember the “bad guys” using AK-47′s that would make mince meat out of a laptop!!!! This hows ALOT of holes in it “literally”……CSI the notebook to verify it’s not the wimpy 5.56mm round as to the 7.62×39! Surrounding oneself with laptops WILL NOT protect you better then your kevlar ceramic plates……call me crazy but if I were this troop and my laqptop crapped out on me taking it to the range shoot it up and start an unverifiable story??? Yes I am a skeptic…..
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 8:21am@spank…
well stated –
“ditto”!
Report Post »Ronko
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 8:39amWow that’s remarkable and probably American made which would explain why it stopped the bullets.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 8:48amSir: Thank you for your Service to this Great Country.
Report Post »enemy of the statist
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:31amWow, I gotta get one of those Human Protection laptops.
Report Post »American Soldier (Separated)
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:25pmHonestly, those impacts don’t look like standard 7.62 or 5.56. Those leave very small holes for impacts not that blunt looking hit. I know the Mythbusters are hardly scientific but they tested the myth of bullet proof laptops. The battery was able to stop bullets due to it’s density but everywhere else sailed right through without a problem. I work on computers a lot and I highly doubt the LCD screen would hold up as well as the picture shows.
Again, the fishy part to this is the impact characteristics. It just doesn’t look like an armor piercing round like the 7.62 or 5.56.
I‘d almost say that the rounds went completely through and they just placed a backing to the LCD and Hard drive to make the appearance that the round didn’t go all the way through.
I’m almost tempted to take my old laptop out to the shooting range to test this out.
Report Post »American Soldier (Separated)
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:33pmAnd what’s with the background? Looks like someones backyard some where in America than in Afghanistan. If he was taking the pictures in order to brag to HP and receive a free laptop (I know a lot of soldiers that write letters to HP and Sony and receive free cameras and stuff) he would have taken them at his FOB. That background does not remind me of Afghanistan one bit….
Report Post »VRW Conspirator
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:25pm@everyone…
reread the article…the laptop was in his BACKPACK…with who knows what else…and how far away was he from the shooter since his back was too them…the only two bullets are the one lodged in the hard drive and battery…which means the LCD was towards the soldier and the bullets would have to travel through the backpack…through the bottom of the case..the motherboard..the keyboad..and then hit the LCD…the LCD only has impact truama not pentration for that reason…
is it suspect…yes…
is it possible…yes…
depending on range, rounds used, and what else the bullets traveled through in his backpack…
i wouldn’t be doubting the impact evidence…i would be doubting that he had his laptop with him on patrol….my son in Iraq would NEVER have had his laptop in his backpack while out on patrol or manuevers…the laptop would be locked up in his footlocker at the base…
Report Post »thop1960
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 4:01pmI know Mythbusters tested an mp3 player (wasn’t bullet proof), now they can test a laptop too. I don’t doubt the soldiers claim, glad to see he survived. I just want to see Kari Byron, ha!
Report Post »Huguenot Descendant
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 5:46pmI now have a better reason to get a laptop.
Report Post »