Reply #127: I wouldn't either

[exlrrp]

I was a grunt in the 101st the last time Henry Kissinger wanted to conquer the world (Vietnam)
I was also a lrrp (now Airborne Rangers)
Our body armor at that time (flak jackets) were so dismally insignificnt, we threw them away. Never wore them
Fighting a war in high heat is hard enough without a lot of extra body armor to drag around. Maybe this war is different but I can't imagine trying to fight the Vietnam War with body armor--we had troops falling out from heat stroke.
War is war, there's going to be death and dismemberment and nobody know it better than a grunt. But you have to balance getting the job done with personal safety. Ultimately you have to risk your life--no war was ever won from a bunker (just ask Hitler)
if I was a grunt nowadays I probably wouldn't want BA either.