Toy cars have serious purpose in Iraq
By JOSIE McCORMICK
Gannett News Service

COSHOCTON - These cars aren't for fun. Their purpose is to help save Marines' lives.

Remote-controlled toy Hummer H2s help Marines detect improvised explosive devices - the roadside bombs that have killed and maimed hundreds of U.S. forces in Iraq.

The remote-controlled vehicles will be courtesy of Ross and Sandy Corder and other area residents who donate to the fund set up at Home Loan and Savings Bank.

"My son's captain (Joel Schmidt) came up with the idea," Sandy Corder said. "He is trying to come up with different ways to detonate them."

The Corders' son, Lance Cpl. Nathaniel "Nate" Corder, is a rifleman with the 2/2 Golf Company 3rd Platoon, which was deployed to Iraq in July 2005 for seven months.

Sandy said she learned about the idea to use the toys in Iraq through Schmidt's wife. Lisa Schmidt is a key volunteer coordinator for Golf Company at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

According to Lisa, her husband's company has lost five Marines to roadside explosions since arriving in Iraq. Four of those deaths came in one incident.

"He hopes to use the cars to go into suspicious areas," she said. "Making the cars go in first might help prevent any more losses. He loves his Marines like he loves his family. It's difficult over there, but he's doing the best he can under the circumstances."

Sandy is ordering the Hummer H2s through RadioShack at a discounted price that includes a battery and charger combo pack. The company will ship them free to any military address. Sandy hopes to send 30 of the $95 toys overseas.

"It travels at a faster speed than some of the others and has the tires and capacity to go over rough terrain," she said. "Its steering also makes it almost exactly like a car."

Sandy was prepared for a lot of red tape when she first called RadioShack's headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, but she never met that barrier.

"I told the first person I talked to what I wanted to do and they never second-guessed me," she said.

The folks at RadioShack helped Sandy find the right person to talk to and even helped her select the remote control vehicle which they think will best suit the Marines' needs.

Ross Corder said his son hasn't talked about death or destruction in Iraq.

"He's pretty tight-lipped because they can't talk about things, but you can tell it's upsetting," Ross said.

Sandy said that when she and her husband talk to Nate they are not allowed to talk about the who, what, when or where of life there. She believes he is doing what he can to protect his parents and wife, Kristen, from knowing the danger that he is in.

"I sent him a disposable camera and he took some pictures of the life of the people there and some of the Marines' lives, but said he has chosen not to show me any of the ugliness."

Nate explained to his mother that pictures that might be upsetting to her are on his digital camera and he will share those with her when he is at home and can explain them.

The most description Nate has given his parents is when he talked to them shortly after four fellow Marines were killed.

"He said he's seen things that no man should ever have to witness," Sandy said.

Sandy is not alone in her quest to help the Marines. Other concerned parents and people involved in the Adopt a Platoon program are sending remote-controlled vehicles to Golf Company.

"Even if it saves one life, it's worth it," Lisa said. "You can't put a cost on that."

jmccormick@nncogannett.com

295-3417

Ellie