A Bore Snake is “a one-piece cleaning rod, brush, patch, solvent and oil applicator in a flexible package one can fold up and carry in a pocket, ready for instant use”.
Apparently, the soldiers in Iraq are given cleaning tools that don’t work as well or as quickly as they should, despite being more expensive than the Bore Snake. Also, because of the types of terrain that they’re fighting on, gun cleaning has become a frequent occurrence (as often as a few times per day).
Thus, Project Bore Snake aims to send Bore Snakes over to the troops so that they can have the best possible tools at their disposal, and so that no lives are lost due to improper gun maintenance.
While feelings about the war are obviously mixed, I think that a project like this is a great way to support the troops themselves without supporting the cause that they’re fighting for, and it does a whole lot more than a yellow ribbon magnet ever did.
Unfortunately, being a fighter meant that Andrew spent time in some very dangerous places, and he was killed last Thursday while serving his country in Iraq.
Before he left, however, he penned a final post that he had asked his friend hilzoy to publish in the event that anything happened to him. The result is a touching and heartfelt look into the life of a soldier, including the quotes that he lived by, and the ideas that he died by.
It’s always good to remind yourself every once in a while of just how precious life is, so open your heart and give Andrew’s Final Post a read; because a final goodbye is as honest as anyone is ever going to be.
Men In Black is the hard hitting story of former Army infantryman Colby Buzzell and the ambush that he experienced in Mosul. Animated drawings bring this story to life, and the very expressive, reflective voice of Buzzell narrates you through the horrifying scene. If you need a reminder of just how real this war in Iraq really is, then prepare to be moved.
