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thedrifter
09-29-06, 07:57 AM
Students hope to 'Wipe Out Terrorism'
Published Friday September 29 2006
By JONATHAN CRIBBS
The Beaufort Gazette

When sixth-grader Matthew Vetter imagines war in Iraq, he sees heroism, vengeance, blood spilled and lives lost on a scorching, chaotic battlefield.

But soldiers gently wiping desert dirt off their bodies with Pampers baby wipes is most definitely not a part of that vision.

Sixty sixth-graders at Lady's Island Middle have spent several weeks collecting about 120 boxes of baby wipes to send to Iraq -- part of a project they named "Wipe Out Terrorism."

Although it might seem like an odd contribution following past reports of soldiers pleading for extra body and Humvee armor among other deadly serious items, students said their gift shipment next week will be essential.

Soldiers can't shower often in Iraq, said Bonnie Nicolai, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Lady's Island Middle. And the sand in Iraq is so fine it mercilessly clings to soldiers' bodies, she said.

As a result, baby wipes have become a hot item with soldiers.

"Every day they don't get showers, and it's really dusty out there," Patrick Dudley, another sixth-grader, said Thursday. "(Soldiers) help us with our world, fighting different things for us. They're our heroes."

Students collected the boxes from parents, donated cash and, in many cases, gave up slushies, cookies and juice at lunch to buy wipes, Nicolai said.

"We can't save anybody's life. We're just trying to do things that would make things comfortable," she said. "And there are Marines who don't have anybody. They don't get packages."

The package will be sent next week with a local Marine headed for Iraq, said DeAnna Johnson, a sixth-grade literature teacher.

Matthew said he just wishes he could do more.

"They should be awarded with something to do after their long day," he said. "Their reward should be to take long showers ... instead of being sandy and all that and smelly."

Ellie