Please see this Troops & Vets blog on CCN about Operation Helmet for an easy and effective way that you can truly support the troops....

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7830

Thanks!

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"I kept hearing about fatal or life-altering head wounds: something like 59 percent of troops who survive an improvised explosive device, or IED, attack suffer traumatic brain injury, most commonly from the enormous concussive effects of the blast. Fortunately, before Chris left, I also heard Capt. Bob Meaders, M.D. (U.S. Navy, Ret.), speak about a retrofit for helmets that can drastically, drastically reduce these numbers."

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"www.operationhelmet.org. Donations to the troops in general are welcome, and remember your gift doesn’t have to be grand. Every single dollar helps. At the site, you can view Meaders’s recent interview on “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” which provides a succinct description of the program."

...

"Operation Helmet is a nonpartisan, charitable grass-roots effort that provides helmet upgrade kits free of charge to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. These helmet upgrade kits consist of shock-absorbing pads and a new strap system."

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"One hundred percent of all donations go toward helmet kits. There are no administrative costs deducted. For more information, visit www.operationhelmet.org."

I never did like kevlar for it's lack of versatility; he makes a crappy camp stool and you couldn't boil water in it.

Dr. Hilary Stallings will be live blogging on Clark's blog tonight....

The Clark Community Network is very pleased to host Dr. Hilary Stallings as a guest writer, Thursday, August 10th at 8:30 PM EDT / 7:30 PM CDT.

Dr. Stallings is actively working with Operation Helmet to provide cushioned helmets to active duty Marines who are (or about to be) deployed to Afganistan and Iraq. Though the Army is currently supplying these upgraded helmets to its troops, the Marine Corp supplier is, 'seriously backlogged' so that Marines presently in Iraq will either not get the upgrades at all, receive them more than half-way through their deployment, or just give up on the promised-but-not-delivered upgrades.

Dr. Bob Meaders (CAPT, Medical Corps, USN-Retired), his son Mark Meaders (Major, USAF-Retired) and grandson SGT Justin Meaders, (USMC, active duty) have led the effort -- by collecting donations -- to purchase these upgrades from a supplier that isn't 'backlogged". Hilary Stallings has been an energetic and tireless part of the effort.

Though all the treatment in the world is not as valuable as the effort to prevent these injuries in the first place, this issue has become even more urgent now that the news is out that the Bush Administration is planning to slash the budget for the he Brain Injury Center, which is devoted to treating and understanding war-related brain injuries.

Hilary Stallings' concern for her soldier brother has turned into a passion as well as a directive to all private citizens on how they can help protect our fighting men and women from serious, even fatal head injuries. Her story is featured in the Troops and Vets Series blog at: http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7830

We also hope to have Dr. Bob and Mark join in! So meet back here on Thursday, August 10th at 8:30 PM EDT/ 7:30 PM CDT for a chance to discuss this important and urgent issue.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about the war ... we all "have skin in the game"

--Hilary Stallings

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7879

one of these helmet liners saved a buddy of mines life, He was like 3 ft away from an IED when it went off, if he didnt have this helmet liner his brain would probably be mush