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In heat of battle, keeping cool is a mission by itself

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 21, 2007

BAGHDAD - The Humvee's air conditioner failed right after four U.S. soldiers clambered aboard for a run through some of Baghdad's most dangerous streets. The temperature was 115 - and without AC, it would quickly rise to 150 or higher inside the vehicle.

So 1st Lt. Robert Plummer and his men took the lesser of two unpleasant choices: They got out and walked.

As the U.S. military spends its fifth blistering summer in Iraq, the Army is evaluating new garments to help fight the extreme heat and heavy protection needed in the battlefield.

Cooler soldiers "carry out their mission longer," said Walter Teal, an engineer at an Army lab in Natick, Mass. "They're less likely to make mistakes because they're mentally more alert."

The most commonly used cooling system is the Interceptor Ventilator Vest, developed by the Natick lab in conjunction with other government agencies and private contractors. About 30,000 vests are currently in use.

The Army ordered 2,500 of Natick's next generation vests, called the Body Ventilation System, and tried them out last year. Response to the garment - which costs about $850 - was mixed, said Lt. Col. Bill Garland, a project manager at the Army's Rapid Equipping Force.

Another Natick product, the Air Warrior Microclimate Cooling System, has been used on helicopters and some Humvees the past couple of years. The developers hope they can eventually make them usable for troops outside their armored vehicles.

From May until September, temperatures of 100 degrees or more are routine in Baghdad and even higher in deserts and lowlands. Troops manage with a bit of ingenuity. They carry ice water in special packs - and even prolong questioning of Iraqis when they find a cool house.

In fact, American troops, including many who have done multiple tours, appear resigned to the heat. The best weapon, they say, is water, gallons of it.

[Last modified July 21, 2007, 01:40:08]