freeamfva: His buddy died wearing body armor

freeamfva

His buddy died wearing body armor



At Blake Waldrop's south Iowa factory, quality control involves ear protection, safety glasses and a high-powered rifle.To get more news about bullet proof vests, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

For every 100 products made by his company, RMA Armament, Waldrop sets aside one to take to his indoor shooting range and pump full of lead.

Waldrop is working to build a superior version of body armor that will save the lives of law enforcement officers and soldiers. And if he needs to shoot up a few dozen samples to make sure it can do the job, so be it.It's meant to save people's lives," said Waldrop, who became a manufacturer after careers in the U.S. Marines and local policing. "If you eat bad cereal, you might be sick for a day or two. But if this is bad, somebody's going to die."

Waldrop's interest stems from personal experience: A comrade in his company died wearing Marine-issued body armor during a 2005 IED attack in Iraq.Waldrop doesn't know whether better body armor would have saved his friend, but he's certain he would have had a better chance wearing RMA's new armor. In fact, his company's website boasts it sells the "world's best body armor."
One of his designs has been tested to withstand six rounds of armor-piercing rifle ammunition — a feat he says is unmatched by competitors. RMA sells various armor models to police forces across the country, with plans for future expansion into the military market. Worn around the center chest, each piece of armor weighs 3 to 7 pounds.In the wake of high-profile shootings of law enforcement officers in Iowa and across the country, Waldrop says demand for hard armor has skyrocketed.

Now, departments that once used body armor solely for special tactical units such as SWAT teams are considering it for patrol officers.

"The need spiked through the roof, as far as individual officers needing hard armor and departments recognizing, 'Hey, we actually need to have an active budget for this,'" he said. "So we've seen a lot of departments putting budgets aside."
After serving in the Marines for five years, Waldrop returned to his native Michigan and worked for a trucking company. But the 2008 shakeup that decimated the American auto market left him laid off.Waldrop entered the police academy and served as an officer in Wyoming and Dysart, Ia.

He launched his armor business in his garage in 2011, seeking expert help to rethink the materials, adhesives and ceramics that go into the shielding worn around the chest.The business, which started making products at the Rock Island Arsenal in the Quad Cities and then through a third-party manufacturer in northern Iowa, was set to go to Texas because of Waldrop's friendship with Gov. Rick Perry.

But a chance encounter with state and local officials at Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's annual hunt changed his mind. He found out that the 20,000-square-foot former armory building in Centerville was empty and available.He wants eventually to sell armor plates to the U.S. military, which he says is still using basically the same style of body armor that his Marine comrade was outfitted with in 2005.

But for now, he's focused on increasing production through sales to law enforcement agencies. A wall in the plant displays badges from customers ranging from Waterloo and Ames in Iowa to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Baltimore Police Department.