When O'ahu-based Army Master Sgt. Suran Sar took a bullet to the head, it wasn't an advertisement for body armor, it was real-life action.

Last March, as Sar outflanked some militants in Afghanistan, his Kevlar helmet stopped an enemy bullet cold. Sar went on to save six members of his unit pinned by the militants. For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star earlier this month.

But during his ceremony, he held up his lowly government-issued helmet. He was thankful that he had at least that.

Now a new secret study by the Pentagon reported in The New York Times shows just how effective extra body armor can be: As many as 80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq could have survived if they had extra body armor.

Currently, body armor worn by our men and women covers only some of the chest and back. The Pentagon's study showed that in 74 of the 93 wounds it analyzed, bullets struck Marines in places not covered by armor, mainly the shoulders, sides or areas of the torso.

Technology for lightweight body armor has been available since 2003. The Marines have already begun to correct the problem, buying additional sets last September.

But the Army, with 130,000 troops — the majority of our fighting force in Iraq — continues to be bogged down in the procurement process. It's still trying to decide what extra plates to buy and what contracts to award.

Meanwhile, our troops continue to fight without adequate protection.

The Pentagon has defended its delay by saying that the Iraqi insurgents' use of improvised explosives reduce the overall effectiveness of body armor. Of course, there's no defense for delay when our troops find themselves face to face with good, old-fashioned bullets.

At this point, as the U.S. death toll nears 2,200, there is no time to waste.

If we must continue to fight, the government must spend the money it needs on body armor to make sure our men and women aren't unduly exposed to the hazards of war.