ON THE CUTTING EDGE: Party Favor Used As Booby-Trap Detector
Marcelle Shriver, a New Jersey mother whose 28-year-old son, Todd, is serving in Ramadi, Iraq, is sending him and his unit as many cans of Silly String that she can get her hands on.
The strands of neon-colored plastic are not being used for fun and games. Before entering an enclosed area, the troops squirt an area 10 to 12 feet in front of them and wait to see if it falls to the ground, or becomes draped over trip wires that have been rigged to set off bombs.
After hearing about Mrs. Shriver’s drive to collect Silly String, the manufacturer of the stuff, Just for Kicks Inc. – as well as competitors making a similar product – offered to donate cans of the stuff, and parishioners at nearby churches have been dropping dropping cans into donation baskets.
Since the string comes in an aerosol can, the US Postal Service has classified it a hazardous material and won’t air mail it to Iraq, so a private pilot has volunteered to fly the 1,000 cans that have been collected so far to Kuwait in January. From there, they will get to Todd Shriver and other troops serving in insurgent hotspots around Iraq.
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