shivan,

I agree that not wearing body armor in Iraq is bad news. On the other hand it seems as if troops are so loaded down now that mobility is compromised. For a while I was wearing a level III point blank vest and then a chicken plate carrier with molle attachements.

Stateside when I was a reserve officer I always wore body armor, regardless of the weather. The risk is just too great w/o it. Nowadays even when I am going to a training class I wear body armor just in case someone leaves their thinking cap at home. I was doing some range drills back in summer of '06 and the guy behind me on the line flagged me at least twice during reaction drills. Needless to say I was getting pissed.