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CNN Saturday Morning News

Technology That Makes War Livable

Aired October 20, 2001 - 09:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Taking care of the U.S. troops engaged in the war on terrorism has become as high-tech as some of the weapons being used in the battle.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Bill Delaney says this isn't your grandfather's kind of war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The country's at war right now, soldiers shipped out or shipping out to places most of us can still barely find on a map. Which may be why it's reassuring somehow, knowing however far afield our soldiers get, they'll still have decent Mexican takeout.

MAJ. ANDY MACDONALD, SOLDIER SYSTEM CENTER: Grilled beefsteak, Mexican rice, country captain chicken, which is really kind of nice, seafood jambalaya.

DELANEY: Yes, Cajun meals-ready-to-eat too, dreamed up at the U.S. Army Soldier System Center outside Boston. Along with everything from soldiers' clothing, including chemical and biological protective suits...

MACDONALD: And press "play."

DELANEY: ... to portable places to pray.

Hundreds of inspired ideas to make war, well, livable.

MACDONALD: A soldier's life is dependent purely on the equipment that he's wearing. That equipment's developed right here, ballistically protected helmet, protects his head from fragmentation, very solid, very sound piece of equipment, saved many soldiers' lives.

DELANEY: Most of the hardcore military gear drawn from often quite mild-mannered civilian stuff.

MACDONALD: Kneepads, definitely. This is -- these are -- these are -- look awful lot like roller blade gear, because that's what they're designed after. You have to be able to wash this stuff. It needs to be -- we wear this stuff. It's all easily -- most of it can easily be cleaned by simply with some soap and water and a good stiff brush. DELANEY: Though bivouacked in camp for a while, forget the good, stiff brush thing.

MACDONALD: This is a containerized laundry system. You drop it down anywhere, and about an hour later you're up and running with soldiers washing their clothes. Holds about 50 pounds of laundry.

DELANEY: As for the camps themselves, about 50 soldiers can throw one up in about a week housing 550.

MACDONALD: The Army's premier base camp system provides soldiers a little quality of life, a little slice of home when they're out deployed into an austere environment.

DELANEY: Creature comforts, though, aren't everything.

BEN RICHARDSON, SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER CHAPLAIN: This is the Army's containerized chapel. It's an instant base camp chapel that we can send anywhere in the world. You end up with a 64-foot-long chapel, seats 100 people, and provides the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim religious support supplies.

DELANEY: For an army that travels with teriyaki sauce, soul food too.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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