Military use of silly string

Silly String and its imitators have a long lasting reputation. They are considered to be the largest selling child-toy novelty in the world for the following reasons:

* People always buy more than one can can.

* Then they all purchase soon again because silly strings get used up quickly.

Silly string games are played on festive occasions and are relatively safe as long as there is no open flame in the vicinity.

One day in 2006 Marcelle Shriver received a phone call from her 27-year-old son, Army Specialist, Todd - requesting ... Silly String. He explained why Silly String proved to be the best method for detecting trip wires on bombs in Iraq.

The Shrivers published their son's request in some parish bulletins and received a very strong response.

To use Silly String for military safety purpose, the soldier stands in the doorway and sprays over the suspect area. The string fallen to the ground means no tripwires. In case of invisible tripwires, connected to the bombs, however, the string will stay suspended in the air - without pulling the wire.

Since 2006, Silly String has been used by U.S. troops in Iraq for safety reasons, described above.

Unfortunately, aerosols cannot be shipped privately to Iraq and it is has not been provided by official channels. Consequently, 80,000 cans of donated Silly String got stockpiled in New Jersey. Finally, in October of 2007, a shipping company with the required credentials was finally found - to deliver the cans where they can serve their purpose.

If you'd like to send donations of cans of Silly String or other items for troop care packages, the address is:

Marcelle Shriver c/o St. Luke's Church
55 Warwick Rd.
Stratford, N.J. 08084

Learn more about Silly String at:
Silly String Games, Uses and Trivia
(click on the link above, it opens a new window)