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Keeping Soldiers Cool
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As temperatures continue to rise across the nation this summer, U.S. Service members in the Middle East are waging a battle on two fronts: escalating temperatures, as well as enemy combatants. As Reed Galin reports, a group of women in New Mexico are helping them keep their cool under pressure. |
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SCRIPT:
(Locator: Roswell, New Mexico)
Onita Barkley/First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “If we can do
anything at all that kind of brightens a spot in their day, that’s
basically what we want to do.”
Care packages have a personal meaning for these ladies from First United
Methodist Church of Roswell.
Onita Barkley/First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “I think it will
be a little piece of home. We sent 106 two months ago.”
Soldiers are grateful for the boxes which hold staples like sunscreen,
gum, and hand sanitizer – and a small strip of fabric that may be the
coolest and most practical item, considering temperatures in the Middle
East.
Onita Barkley First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “When you soak
them just for a very short time they expand and they will stay wet for
the whole day, so they can wear them around their neck or they can put
them in their helmet and it does bring down the body temperature.”
Billie Turner/First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “See the
crystals, that’s right in here, and that’s the part that when it gets
wet it’s cooling.”
Members borrowed the idea for these cool collars from a church in
Arizona.
Onita Barkley/First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “And I know it
works because I have used it.”
Some of these ladies have lost loved ones serving in the line of duty.
Donna Echols/Niece killed in Iraq: “She was 19, she was recruited into
the military, was shipped to Iraq, and so she was in combat there, then
later on she was killed.”
Knowing the perils of battle, the packers always include a personal note
in each box, too.
Onita Barkley/First United Methodist Church of Roswell: “We hold you in
our thoughts and prayers. It will be a great day when you and your
buddies come home.”
TAG:
The women sew the collars themselves. The polymers that go into the
collars are the same type of ingredient that is mixed with some garden
soils to hold moisture.
For more information, contact the First United Methodist Church of
Roswell, New Mexico by logging on to their website
http://www.fumc-roswell.us or calling 505-622-1881.