80,000 cans of Silly String collected, sent to troops in Iraq
A New Jersey mom's labor of love has overcome its last hurdle.
Marcelle Shriver collected 80,000 cans of Silly String and had planned to send them all to Iraq, where troops use the substance to detect tripwires on deadly insurgent bombs.
After an initial shipment made it to Baghdad in January without a hitch, Shriver suddenly hit the hard wall of military bureaucracy.
One problem: Silly String is an aerosol and it's considered a hazardous material, meaning only certain companies can ship it.
Thom Campbell, one of the founders of Capacity LLC, a shipping company experienced in hazardous materials, stepped up to the plate yesterday and decided to help out, shipping off the cans.
"I am so happy right now, I am shaking. I just think it's awesome that it's finally going," said Shriver, whose son is a soldier in Iraq.
"I'm thrilled," Shriver said as the boxes were loaded into a truck.
"The determination that she's shown over a year ... deserves to be honored," Campbell said.
The thousands of cans of Silly String are boxed and addressed to individual servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq and will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service once inspected.
Shriver's Silly String campaign began last year after her son, Todd, a soldier in Ramadi slated to leave Iraq next month, asked his parents to send cans of the product, which also is sold under names such as "party string" or "crazy string."
The troops were using it to detect tripwires on bombs. They can shoot the substance, which travels about 10-12 feet, across a room before entering. If it hangs in the air, that indicates a possible tripwire.
Marcelle Shriver collected 80,000 cans of Silly String and had planned to send them all to Iraq, where troops use the substance to detect tripwires on deadly insurgent bombs.
After an initial shipment made it to Baghdad in January without a hitch, Shriver suddenly hit the hard wall of military bureaucracy.
One problem: Silly String is an aerosol and it's considered a hazardous material, meaning only certain companies can ship it.
Thom Campbell, one of the founders of Capacity LLC, a shipping company experienced in hazardous materials, stepped up to the plate yesterday and decided to help out, shipping off the cans.
"I am so happy right now, I am shaking. I just think it's awesome that it's finally going," said Shriver, whose son is a soldier in Iraq.
"I'm thrilled," Shriver said as the boxes were loaded into a truck.
"The determination that she's shown over a year ... deserves to be honored," Campbell said.
The thousands of cans of Silly String are boxed and addressed to individual servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq and will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service once inspected.
Shriver's Silly String campaign began last year after her son, Todd, a soldier in Ramadi slated to leave Iraq next month, asked his parents to send cans of the product, which also is sold under names such as "party string" or "crazy string."
The troops were using it to detect tripwires on bombs. They can shoot the substance, which travels about 10-12 feet, across a room before entering. If it hangs in the air, that indicates a possible tripwire.
Original article
posted by Cyemm at 5:54 PM
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