Silly String - "Life Saving Use"

Whoa, I love this stuff...my teen loves it too. One Christmas, I put it in my children's stockings. They had a good time spraying each other around the Christmas tree, although I do recall that it became quite a messy morning-wrapping paper, toys, candy, dog, tree needles, and silly string. Not good. I better scratch it off their lists this year but instead buy an extra few cans and send them to the troops-Serious Use for Silly String. This would be a great "life saving gift" to send to the troops for Christmas! Pass the word. Contact info: St. Luke Church

American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.

Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.

[snip]

After sending some cans to her 28-year-old son, Shriver enlisted the help of two priests and posted notices in her church and its newsletter. From there, the effort took off, with money and Silly String flowing in. Parishioners have been dropping cans into donation baskets.

"There's so much that they can't do, and they're frustrated, but this is something they can do," said the Rev. Joseph Capella of St. Luke's Church in Stratford.