An American soldier serving with the U.S. Army is preparing to take the next step in his career when he leaves the military.
The veteran, who is currently on the frontline in Iraq, is about to get an upgrade to his personal armor and plate armor that will allow him to go from a small platoon to a battalion.
He will also be able to wear his own helmet.
“I’d love to be able do that,” said the soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the transition.
I want to be an active part of the American force,” he said.
For most of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was deployed with an armored platoon.
But he was reassigned to a lighter armored platoon in January, which meant he was not allowed to use his personal vehicle.
In an effort to help soldiers adjust to life without the armored gear, the Army recently opened a pilot program for people who are not current members of the service to be sent to the military to get the equipment.
Soldiers who are already deployed can get a two-year contract to get up to 15 pounds of personal armor.
The military has not yet decided how many troops will be eligible for the program.
Since March, the Pentagon has launched a pilot project to train 1,500 military personnel to get their personal armor to 20 percent of their maximum weight.
That’s in addition to the current 10 percent requirement.
It is a major improvement for soldiers who are deployed, but still have to get through some grueling training.
To be eligible, a soldier must be deployed in a war zone, be deployed to Afghanistan, be on active duty for at least 90 days, be in a battalion, and be able handle an average load of 3,000 pounds.
Once deployed, they must return to the United States within 30 days to rejoin the Army.