Team Wendy®, in conjunction with the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) and the U.S. Embassy in Manila, recently participated in a ceremony to replace a battle-damaged helmet for a member of the Philippine Force Reconnaissance Group.
A Filipino Marine was recently hit in the helmet by a rifle round at close range while conducting counterterrorism operations. Team Wendy’s EXFIL® Ballistic stopped the round and the Marine survived. Team Wendy provided a new helmet to the Philippine Marine Corps to replace the damaged helmet.
“It was such a unique opportunity to meet with the Marines and hear the after-action report firsthand,” said Mike Romanchek, Director of Sales and Business Development for Team Wendy. “The EXFIL Ballistic has a number of saves against rifle rounds, but this was the first time it was presented publicly. It was an honor for us to meet with our allies and discuss the conditions in which they’re operating and how critically high-quality protective headgear benefits them in the fight.”
The affected Marine also received other wounds and didn’t realize at the time that he had also been shot in the head.
The U.S. collaborates with the Marine Force Reconnaissance Group and the Philippines at large on counterterrorism efforts to address the shared extremist threat. The EXFIL Ballistic was procured for the Filipino Marines via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program facilitated by JUSMAG located at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
The helmet exchange took place at the JUSMAG offices in the U.S. Embassy in Manila on April 8, 2019. The damaged helmet was given to JUSMAG as a symbol of gratitude. Representatives from JUSMAG, the Philippine Force Reconnaissance Group and Team Wendy were present.
“We have a sign on the floor of our manufacturing facility that says ‘the work you do saves lives every day,’” said Romanchek. “This is something our entire team is hyper-aware of, and it’s always incredible to hear testimonials like this.”
