Tuesday, July 29, 2003 | 11:19 a.m.
On the web
Information about the Cool Our Troops program, including how to make donations can be found at coolourtroops.com
Members of the Nevada Army National Guard's 777th Engineer Utilities team are living in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, but it has provided little respite from temperatures hovering between 110 and 120 degrees.
The Baghdad palace provides a little shade for the soldiers' cots, but has no running water, no power and no working air conditioning.
But thanks to donations from Las Vegas, the entire 50-member unit will soon have a new way to cool off.
Spc. Nicholas Petry, 23, mentioned the heat in letters home to his mother, Cynthia Dunn, a former Las Vegan who now lives in Phoenix. She was back in Las Vegas on Monday and raised the money to send each member of the unit a personal, portable mister that, according to the company that makes the devices, lowers air temperatures as much as 30 degrees.
"The soldiers are wearing 25 pounds of gear, and when they are off, they are either sleeping on a cot outside or inside a palace with no air conditioning," Dunn said. "There is no way for them to escape the heat, and this is just a way that we might be able to make it a little easier on them, even if it just cools them off enough so that they can get to sleep at night."
The misters, known as Misty Mates, retail for $14.95 each but are discounted to $10 apiece because they are going to troops. The misters look like a sports bottle with a small hose and nozzle, and can clip on to a belt or strap. When the bottle is filled with water, a built-in pump shoots a mist from the Misty Mate's adjustable nozzle.
Dunn heard about the misters from two Arizona women whose Cool Our Troops campaign aims to ensure every U.S. soldier in the Middle East has one of the devices.
Howard Hughes Corp., Wendy's and Nevada Power donated enough money on Monday to buy misters for the 777th. Federal Express has agreed to ship the misters free of charge, and they could reach the soldiers in about two weeks, Dunn said.
More than 1,200 misters have already been sent to soldiers in the Middle East as part of the campaign.
Steve Utter, chief executive of the Arizona-based Misty Mate company, donated 1,000 units to the effort.
"They seem to work really well for the military," said Utter, whose company has been selling the personal misters for 14 years. "We tried sending our 16-ounce units, but the military prefers the 10-ounce models because they can fit in a pocket and won't get caught on any of their other gear."
Lt. Col. Mike Carlson, Battalion Commander of the 777th, said that the heat is something that soldiers have to be concerned about as they go about their duties in Iraq.
"They have to monitor their water intake closely, and understand what the conditions are and what precautions need to be taken," said Carlson, who is stationed in Reno. "The temperature there is pretty much in tune with Las Vegas. The difference is that there can be more humidity, and they are out in the heat all day.
"The misters will be a godsend."
Triple-digit temperatures can superheat the metal on soldiers' weapons and can turn tanks into ovens, military officials said.
While the misters may help cool troops during their downtime in Iraq, they are not issued as standard military equipment.
April Conway, spokeswoman for the Nevada Army Guard, said that carrying the 10-ounce bottles along with other equipment probably wouldn't be difficult for soldiers.
"It could probably fit in a cargo pocket," Conway said. "They might not be able to bring them when they are on patrol, or when they need to move light, but I don't see why they couldn't use them around camp."
Las Vegas resident Elizabeth Loros often hears about the tough conditions in Iraq in e-mails from her daughter, Spc. Abbey Loros, who is also with the 777th in Baghdad.
"She's lived in the desert in Las Vegas for 11 years, but she says it just seems hotter over there," Loros said of her 21-year-old daughter. "In Las Vegas you can go from air conditioning to air conditioning, but there they walk everywhere."
Dunn said she would like to see every soldier from Nevada get one of the misters.
"Maybe it can be something that makes it better for them for a few minutes," Dunn said. "It's the least we can do if it helps them get through their work."
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