The joys of Nomex

Head on over to the Fightin' 6th and check out the good work of the Marines in Fallujah. Notice what they are patrolling in? Yep, that is a desert flight suit. Flight suits have NOMEX. Unlike the "easy care for Norfolk, San Diego, and the office" poly/cotton blend combat uniforms, the aviation side of the house long ago realized that it is better to have a slightly frumpy and loose flight uniform that doesn't burn to the flesh (IED attacks have resulted in horrible burns - even through glass just due to the blast wave - only the heat needs to get to you). Every other military uniform will, in a fire or heat from a blast, burn in to your skin and will have to be scraped away, with the skin it has now fused with. Though not perfect, NOMEX won't. Many Marine units have decided that digi-cam may make you feel all "Transformational" but a NOMEX flight suit will bring me home with less disfigurement and death. BTW, next to drowning, in combat onboard Navy ships, fire, blast, steam and heat kills those the smoke doesn't get. You would think with the half a decade we have been looking at a new TFU approved uniform for shipboard use that it would have NOMEX. No, more interested in walking around with "hidden" paint stains.