SAN DIEGO, April 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines in Afghanistan are being issued new silk "ballistic boxer" underwear to protect against infection from injuries, the Marine Corps announced.
The snug-fitting silk shorts contain anti-microbial agents and are designed to keep debris from getting into wounds, the Los Angeles Times reported from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The British military has been issuing similar underwear for several years, the Times said.
The Marine Corps order for 25,000 pairs of the new shorts has a $2 million price tag, officials said.
Navy Cmdr. James L'Esperance, a urologist who treats military wounded from Afghanistan, said there has been a jump in the number of wounds to the genital area because of mines and other explosives planted by insurgents.
"It's almost as if [the Taliban] have developed these bombs to inflict the maximum damage," he said.
Statistics show battlefield injuries to the groin area nearly tripled in a year – there were 52 personnel treated at the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, in 2009 and 142 in 2010, officials said.
