Silly String is saving lives over in Iraq
A segment during Monday morning’s edition of Fox and Friends explored why the novelty toy “Silly String” is considered the best method for detecting trip wires on bombs in Iraq, and how it has made the Army-issued grappling hook obsolete.Last month, a town in New Jersey began a campaign to convince people to help donate “Silly String” to send to troops in Iraq.
“The request came from Marcelle and Ronald Shriver, whose 27-year-old son, Army Specialist Todd Shriver, is stationed in Ramadi,” an ABC affilliate reported. “The Shrivers published their son’s request in parish bulletins at St. Luke’s and Our Lady of Grace in Somerdale. It’s gotten a very strong response.”
“Not so Silly String,” TIME Magazine quipped.
“Stratford, N.J., mom Marcelle Shriver recently got a call from her son Todd requesting … Silly String,” Ellin Martens wrote for TIME. “Marines working with his unit in Iraq had shown the Army combat engineer how it can be used to detect trip wires. Before searching buildings, for example, personnel spray doorways from at least 10 ft. away with streams of foam–and see if they’re snagged by barely visible wires, which are often affixed to bombs.”
During the Fox broadcast, the commentators demonstrated how troops used the “party gag” by spraying a fake trip wire.
One Fox commentator said that it was “so cool” because it showed how inventive the troops could be on the battlefield. A Marine spokesman had told TIME, “We force Marine trainees to improvise.”
Source: RawStory
One Response to “Silly String is saving lives over in Iraq”
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My kids just use it to spray anything that moves, like the dogs, neighbor kids, and cars driving past our house….who knew this had a use other than making a huge freaking mess and getting on my nerves?