The military makes you wear helmets for a reason.

Army Staff Sgt. Thalamus Lewis was shot in the head while serving in Afghanistan. What should have been a fatal wound merely knocked Lewis out. His Advanced Combat Helmet saved his life.

From Stars and Stripes:

Lewis and his fellow soldiers were searching for hidden explosives in Afghanistan on October 4, 2012, when a bullet slammed into his helmet and knocked him out. A firefight ensued. Army officials said Lewis, who was on his fourth deployment, was unconscious but alive because his ACH absorbed the shock and diverted the bullet.

Four years later, the helmet that literally stopped an insurgent’s bullet was returned to the service member it protected.

Lewis received the helmet at a ceremony hosted by ceremony hosted by Program Executive Office Soldier, the command responsible for military protective gear. PEO Soldier often returns old armor to veterans as keepsakes. Lewis’ helmet is now mounted on a wooden plaque.