By Ilona van de Laarschot
The force of an improvised explosive device travels up from the ground, through the floor of a vehicle and directly into servicemembers lower torsos with devastating effect.
The Washington Post reports that from 2009 to 2010 this type of often fatal injury rose from 4.8 to 9.1 percent -- 90 percent in one year alone.
In response the U.S. military just put in a rush order for $21 million worth of "ballistic" groin protection.
Generally made of pliable Kevlar, the gear wraps the pelvic region, protecting the femoral artery in the thigh.
Of the 142 soldiers with lower body wounds at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where almost every servicemember goes after a severe injury, 40 percent of the soldiers had wounds to the testicles.
The order will be filled by British firm Cooneen, Watts, and Stone, Ltd who have provided over 300,000 pairs of ballistic undergarments to English soldiers in Afghanistan.
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