Ingenuity helped Larry Edwards and the soldiers of the Mississippi National Guard’s 223rd Engineer Combat Battalion beat the heat. They soak a sock, slide a bottle of water inside and let physics take over. Evaporation off the sock draws energy in the form of heat out of the bottle. When the sock dries, the water is cool. Soldiers on the go request tuna fish packaged in the new foil pouch; it’s light and doesn’t require a can opener. The heat is also bad for troops too busy to brush their teeth. To zap their petri-dish mouths, they like Carefree Koolerz gum containing xylitol, a bacteria killer. Certain other relief agents are verboten in Islamic society: don’t bother sending your favorite GI alcohol, pork or porn. It’s hot enough without them.
