After six years in the Army, Staff Sgt. Kevin Gervais was considering his options.  Should he get out of the Army or re-enlist?

After doing some research and job hunting, he realized exactly what he'd have to give up.  Two re-enlistments later and after 14 years of service Gervais is still serving his country.

Like many soldiers, he has had multiple deployments, a total of five — the first to Bosnia in 1997, and three to Iraq in 2003, 2005 and 2006.  Currently, he is deployed to Afghanistan.  Soldiers deploy every day with combat and support units; however, two of his deployments have a very unique mission.

Gervais, a soldier assigned to the U.S Army Operational Test Command, is currently serving on his second Forward Operational Assessment Team — the first was FOA VII in 2006 in Iraq.  He is serving with FOA XII in Afghanistan.

FOA teams are groups of soldiers, Army civilians and contractors who deploy on six-month rotations to combat theaters in order to assess equipment currently being fielded to soldiers.  The FOA team is part of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command.

"The FOA team is extremely helpful in the decision-making process.  The data and feedback we collect from soldiers actually using this equipment helps paint a realistic picture of how well equipment performs and this information is helpful in acquisition decision making at all levels of leadership," Gervais said.

Gervais has spent the past three years at OTC testing Army systems.  He has participated in the armed reconnaissance helicopter test in which he collected research and development information prior to the test and served as the lead data collector on the test that was conducted at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.  He then participated in the Combat Evader Rescue Radio test.

This radio is used by pilots in the event an aircraft is shot down or has mechanical issues and allows the pilot to talk to rescue centers. He was also the lead noncommissioned officer for the Joint Service Aircrew Mask, which is an aircraft gas mask for the Apache helicopters.

Gervais is a helicopter repairer and has assessed many of the same systems in theater that he has already operationally tested.

Other systems that FOA members have assessed include the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, armor kits and mine rollers.

Gervais has conducted forward operational assessments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He said that the infrastructure in each country differs greatly with paved roads in Iraq and dirt mountainous terrain in Afghanistan.

"Travel is the most noticeable difference between the two countries.  In Afghanistan, I need to plan at least seven days to do collection missions for FOA, whereas in Iraq, I could be out and back in the same day," he said.

Gervais wakes up everyday knowing that the equipment he tests ensures that soldiers fighting for freedom have the best possible tools to perform their duties.

He said that some soldiers' injuries that his wife sees while working in a hospital in Iraq are horrific and he knows some of the equipment he is assessing will protect soldiers and prevent these types of injuries.

"What I do makes a difference," Gervais said.  "I know that I am potentially saving the lives of my comrades with the information that I gather while on a FOA team."