thedrifter
02-12-07, 09:02 AM
Scouts part of nationwide Silly String drive
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Feb 11, 2007 11:51:37 EST
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Tiger Scouts of Troop 47 have become quite silly in recent weeks — but for a serious purpose. They’re among the groups of children nationwide who are spending their time and efforts on a special project that will benefit the military in Iraq.
They’re collecting Silly String.
These 7-year-olds are working on a project to collect and send hundreds of cans of the neon-colored chemical to the troops stationed in Iraq.
Troops use the product when they’re doing room-to-room searches for booby traps or improvised explosive devices. When squirted, the chemicals react with air to form a foamy strand up to 12 feet long.
Before entering a room, the troops can squirt the stuff inside and if it lands on the floor, the room is likely to be clear of trip wires. But if the stuff hangs in the air, it may have snagged on a nearly invisible line, indicating a dangerous trip wire.
It’s not clear who first thought of the military applications of Silly String. It saw some action during Vietnam, and there’s some evidence that Marines operating in Anbar province introduced the stuff to Iraq.
The word spread quickly, via the Internet, to other combat personnel, and the product started arriving in the country shortly thereafter.
School children around the country have been featured for their projects to collect Silly String and send cans to troops overseas.
The Tiger Scouts were inspired by an article that ran in the Daily Mail that discussed such projects in other parts of the country. Now the boys want to have fun and help the troops, too.
Cub Master Susie Azevedo said the boys have had a good response to the project.
“We’ve collected 200 to 300 cans of the stuff so far,” she said, “and will continue through the end of February.”
While most children this age don’t understand war or know what this war is about, Azevedo said that the boys have learned they are helping the troops in Iraq. “And we feel that is part of the Boy Scout Oath,” she said. “They are doing their duty to their country.”
The children who are participating in the collection are all first-graders at Shoals Elementary School on Pennsylvania Avenue. Troop 47 meets at Trinity United Methodist Church the first and third Tuesday of each month. Azevedo has served as Cub Master for this troop for five years.
Collection points include the elementary school and Valley Bell, 508 Roane Ave.
“These boys are learning that by collecting and shipping the Silly String, it could save a soldier’s life some day,” Azevedo said. “That’s a great lesson for them to learn. Plus, they are having a good time demonstrating what Silly String can do.”
Ellie
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Feb 11, 2007 11:51:37 EST
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Tiger Scouts of Troop 47 have become quite silly in recent weeks — but for a serious purpose. They’re among the groups of children nationwide who are spending their time and efforts on a special project that will benefit the military in Iraq.
They’re collecting Silly String.
These 7-year-olds are working on a project to collect and send hundreds of cans of the neon-colored chemical to the troops stationed in Iraq.
Troops use the product when they’re doing room-to-room searches for booby traps or improvised explosive devices. When squirted, the chemicals react with air to form a foamy strand up to 12 feet long.
Before entering a room, the troops can squirt the stuff inside and if it lands on the floor, the room is likely to be clear of trip wires. But if the stuff hangs in the air, it may have snagged on a nearly invisible line, indicating a dangerous trip wire.
It’s not clear who first thought of the military applications of Silly String. It saw some action during Vietnam, and there’s some evidence that Marines operating in Anbar province introduced the stuff to Iraq.
The word spread quickly, via the Internet, to other combat personnel, and the product started arriving in the country shortly thereafter.
School children around the country have been featured for their projects to collect Silly String and send cans to troops overseas.
The Tiger Scouts were inspired by an article that ran in the Daily Mail that discussed such projects in other parts of the country. Now the boys want to have fun and help the troops, too.
Cub Master Susie Azevedo said the boys have had a good response to the project.
“We’ve collected 200 to 300 cans of the stuff so far,” she said, “and will continue through the end of February.”
While most children this age don’t understand war or know what this war is about, Azevedo said that the boys have learned they are helping the troops in Iraq. “And we feel that is part of the Boy Scout Oath,” she said. “They are doing their duty to their country.”
The children who are participating in the collection are all first-graders at Shoals Elementary School on Pennsylvania Avenue. Troop 47 meets at Trinity United Methodist Church the first and third Tuesday of each month. Azevedo has served as Cub Master for this troop for five years.
Collection points include the elementary school and Valley Bell, 508 Roane Ave.
“These boys are learning that by collecting and shipping the Silly String, it could save a soldier’s life some day,” Azevedo said. “That’s a great lesson for them to learn. Plus, they are having a good time demonstrating what Silly String can do.”
Ellie