I had read, in the dim dark past ,that some WW2 aircrew would sit on their flak jackets ( Flak jacket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) to protect their crown jewels from flak splinters whilst on bombing missions. I'm sure that they would have appreciated a form-fitting body armour diaper to keep the $hit in, and the flak out! Whilst researching this reply, I chanced across this interesting article linked below. Why A German Pilot Escorted An American Bomber To Safety During World War II
That's a fantastic story, and incredible, too. I like this instance when the code of honor took precedence over the call of duty, when one pilot recognized in one moment, the very real and desperate situation for what it was and not as a simple case of friend or foe. It is the tiny fragments in time like this which should help us to define warfare, because it is only when we truly know the enemy we may come to admire him. This works both ways. Of course, I do not subscribe to romanticizing warfare and blindly acknowledging nationalistic fervor as a completely justifiable sense of reasoning, since it is destructive and it is senseless -but rare glimpses such as this are impossible to escape without feeling emotion and admiration.
I feel there are Body armor options with all over body protection as well which includes, Collar, Groin, Front and back Torso as well. So one should go with that.
Not just chopper pilots and not just in Nam. To this day I don't think I can sit in the back of a chopper, six-by or even a pick-up without sitting on something more protective than my britches...and I wasn't even in da Nam!