Today we spent the day sewing up neckbands for the Marines who are currently sweltering in Afghanistan and Iraq. The bands are about 40″ long, with the back 16″ of the neckbands sewn into four-4″ compartments. About a half-teaspoon of those polymer granules (the ones that you can put in soil to retain moisture) are put into each 4″ compartment. When they are soaked in water, the granules swell to something like 50 times their size (I might be exaggerating here, but they do swell up a lot), and help the Marines to stay cool. The temperatures there are consistently over 100 F degrees, and have you seen all the gear they have to wear?? I can’t even imagine wearing all of that in ANY kind of weather.
We’re also making 7″ round-shaped thingies with the same stuff in them so that they can put those on top of their heads inside their helmets. Those should feel pretty nice, or at least give them a little relief. What a job they’ve got, huh?
That our soldiers (and soldiers from the “coalition of the willing”) should be dumped right in the center of harm’s way by a bunch of privileged cowards who never served in the military makes my blood boil. I hope they are all tried for war crimes in the Hague. Or for treason right here in the good ol’ USA. Assholes. And 4000+ of our brave soldiers have been killed for such a pathetic president’s legacy? I hope history is as brutal to him as he, his rich friends, Halliburton and all of the corrupt lobbyists have been to our country.
Uh… I think it may be time for another chill pill.
Runswithscizzors 
I have one of these…somewhere. They do indeed feel fantastically cool, but my experience is that they lose their cool far too soon. Better than nothing, but maybe difficult to refresh as often as needed in Afghanistan.
Or maybe it’s just me–too hot nearly all the time. 🙂
I applaud your efforts on behalf of our brave soldiers and agree with everything you had, have, and will have to say about the evil ones who sent them off on such fool’s errands.