A Christmas Present for Our Troops

Christmas is a time of giving and, despite the protestations of some who feel the holiday has become overly commercialized, people do open their hearts and wallets to give beyond family and friends. Churches collect and distribute food and gifts for those less fortunate, the Salvation Army dispatches its army of bell ringing Santa Clauses to collect money to help those less fortunate, etc. There are also the acts of individuals who simply see someone in need and help them.

A good example of a person seeing a need and moving to meet it is Mrs. Marcelle Shriver, a mother in New Jersey who has a son serving in Iraq with the Army. In an October telephone conversation from Iraq with his mother, the younger Shriver told her how his unit had learned a trick from the Marines that involved squirting Silly String (a gooey plastic substance that young kids enjoy squirting from pressurized cans) into rooms in buildings suspected to have housed terrorists. If the Silly String lands on the floor that is evidence that there are no trip wires that will set off bombs. However, if the Silly String appears to hang in the air, a closer examination will reveal that it is hanging across a nearly invisible trip-wire connected to a bomb. Terrorists in Iraq often booby-trap buildings with bombs before they flee from advancing Allied troops. The problem is, Silly String is not readily available in Iraq and it cannot be ordered or shipped via U.S. Mail because Postal Service regulations prohibit the mailing of aerosol cans as they are considered to be a hazardous substance. So, Mrs Shriver began collecting cans of Silly String and related brands of the same substance. She also posted a notice in her parish church asking for contributions of Silly String and now has them helping her. Thanks to news stories, word is getting out and not only are the makers of Silly String donating cans of the product but other producers and individuals are doing so as well. A private pilot has learned of what she is doing and has offered to fly the cans to Kuwait in January.

Not only is this a perfect example of generosity and charity in action – the ideal of Christmas gift giving, but it is also a good example of what can be accomplished when individuals are left alone to see and solve problems rather than waiting for a central authority to do so. Among the comments left on news sites reporting this on the Internet are criticisms of the Pentagon for not discovering this simple, low tech solution to a problem as well as additional criticism of the Pentagon for not supplying Silly String themselves. In response to the first criticism, it should be pointed out that no one, including government bureaucrats and their political masters, is all knowing. Many things are better left to those on the scene, whether it be the battlefield or the shop floor as these are the ones who have to deal with it first hand and, when given the freedom to act, will usually devise practical and workable solutions. As to the government procurement people assuming responsibility for acquiring Silly String and providing it to the troops, it would take time to put the procedures in place, advertise for bids, buy and distribute it. Since more than one company sells produces this product and other companies could probably produce it as well, you can imagine the howls of favoritism that would arise in Congress and the press if the Pentagon simply placed orders with a couple of suppliers. Leaving this to individuals eliminates this problem as individuals can simply make the purchasing decision and purchase it wherever they please for the troops.

What better idea for a Christmas gift than a can of Silly String to be given to a soldier in Iraq to help save his life?

According to one of the postings on the Internet, contributions can be sent to St. Luke's Church, 55 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ 08084. Checks would be easier to send and should be made out to Marcelle Shriver. If you send Silly String or one of the other brands of the same product, check with UPS, Federal Express or other private carrier as the U.S. Postal Service will not accept this for shipment. Finally, if you know of a soldier or Marine in Iraq who may need Silly String (and most don't need this as not all troops and units are involved with this type of work) you should send the information to ron101abn@comcast.net