Troops beat the heat downrange with liquid refreshment

With the dog days of summer upon them, troops downrange are beating the heat by purchasing a wide variety of cold drinks. In fact, of the top 20 items purchased in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom last month, 15 were in the form of liquid refreshment.

“It’s certainly no coincidence that with the temperatures ramping up, there has been a significant increase in the number of cold drinks being sold at BXs and PXs downrange,” said Lt. Col. Peter Butts, AAFES contingency planning chief. “With an average temperature of 112 degrees this time of year, keeping cool definitely becomes a priority.”

Deployed troops seeking relief from the heat made Monster and Red Bull the top-selling items at 85 base exchanges and post exchanges scattered throughout OEF and OIF in June. Monster was the biggest seller with troops knocking back 284,482 cans, followed by 78,753 cans of Red Bull.

“As the heat builds through July and August, the public can help keep troops cool and refreshed while they carry out their daily missions through the ‘Gifts from the Homefront’ program,” said Colonel Butts. “Any American can keep deployed troops stocked with all of the necessities without the hassle and cost of a traditional care package with a BX/PX gift certificate that can be redeemed at any AAFES exchange, including 56 facilities in Iraq alone.”

Started soon after programs that allowed the general public to send mail addressed to “any servicemember” were canceled due to security concerns and transportation constraints, AAFES’ military gift certificate campaign allows anyone to make a direct and tangible contribution to military morale with a gift certificate that can be redeemed for nearly anything that a specific servicemember wants.

“Gifts from the Homefront” can be sent to deployed troops by logging on to www.aafes.org or calling 877-770-4438. From there, BX or PX gift certificates are sent to servicemembers through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross, Fisher House, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society or USO. These charitable partners have distributed 24,815 certificates, totaling more than $480,000, earmarked for “any service-member.”

(Courtesy of AAFES)