This article is provided
courtesy of Stars & Stripes, which
got its start as a newspaper for Union troops
during the Civil War, and has been published
continuously since 1942 in Europe and 1945
in the Pacific. Stripes reporters have
been in the field with American soldiers,
sailors and airmen in World War II, Korea,
the Cold War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Bosnia
and Kosovo, and are now on assignment in the
Middle East.
Stars and Stripes has one of the widest distribution
ranges of any newspaper in the world. Between
the Pacific and European editions, Stars
& Stripes services over 50 countries
where there are bases, posts, service members,
ships, or embassies.
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes European Edition ARLINGTON, Va. - Starting
next year, tired soldiers in the field will be able to quickly cook
up a cup of Joe, thanks to a sealable plastic bag that will be put
in every Meal, Ready to Eat, or MRE.
The new "hot beverage bag" is designed to be used in conjunction with
the flameless ration heater bag included in every MRE.
The warfighter would fill the bag with a cup of water, seal it, place
it inside the heater bag, and after six minutes, be able to place
the hot bagin a cardboard box and mix in the instant coffee or other
beverage mix.
The bag provides a solution to a dilemma that has nagged defense food
experts since steel helmets went out of style.
"[What] we haven't been able to do well is provide hot water in the
field," according to Gerald Darsch, director of the Department of
Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems
Center in Natick, Mass.
Soldiers used to be able to boil water in their helmets; no more with
Kevlar.
Offering within the MREs a simple plastic bag that costs taxpayers
less than one cent "is a real no-brainer," Darsch said during a June
17 demonstration on Capitol Hill of the directorate's latest innovations.
"But it's probably going to make more of a difference to the warfighter
than any of the other fancy, bells-and-whistles [food packaging] developments
we've done."
The ration heaters are intended to heat the MRE entree, but Darsch
said Natick researchers have long noted that many troops don't use
the device.
"There are always plenty of spare [ration heaters] around," Darsch
said.
Likewise, the cardboard containers that surround many food items,
including the entree, are often discarded, he said.
In the process of conducting their research into improving MREs, Natick
scientists had collected numerous comments from troops saying that
a waterproof, resealable plastic bag would be handy - not just for
storing uneaten snacks, but also to hold small personal items.
So last year, Natick researchers decided to combine the obvious, Darsch
said - a plastic bag for carrying items that doubles as a coffee mug.
The plastic bags were field-tested by troops in Iraq over the winter,
and were "an unbelievable hit," Darsch said.
In response, Combat Feeding officials decided to put the bags on the
fast track, Darsch said. Natick's schedule now calls for the devices
to be inserted into all MREs that will be manufactured beginning in
2005, Darsch said.
