Operation Helmet Saves Soldiers' Lives
Ranked #68 in Volunteering, #11,772 overall | Donates to Operation Helmet
Our Soldiers Are Dying Because Of Incorrect Helmet Gear!
Without the necessary replacement pads, our soldiers are exposed to lifelong brain injuries or even death, on a daily basis.
In 2004, Dr. Bob Meaders, of Montgomery, Texas founded "Operation Helmet" to provide helmet upgrade kits free of charge to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So far, about 40,000 kits have been sent and many lives have been saved.
This is a unique opportunity to support our troops in a direct and efficient way, with less than one half percent of the donations needed for administrative costs. They have no salaries or payroll in their non-profit organization!
Forget the "Made in China" sticker ribbons - save a soldier's life today! Imagine.
Photo by MATEUS 27:24&25
UPDATE! December 2008 - From Dr. Meader's Blog...
We will cease operations only when we are no longer needed, transferring any residual funds to charities helping our wounded troops and their families.
Right now (December, 2008), that seems far away, as the Army has decided to keep on purchasing and distributing the cheaper, harder pads it now uses.
We're still slugging it out with the powers that be to change hearts and minds.
If ONE soldier is killed or maimed because they took off their helmet even momentarily to relieve a headache and got caught in an IED blast or other ambush, shame forever on the Army.
Sadly, the other military Services now depend on the Army to tell them what kind of pads should be in their warrior's helmets.
Sad case of the Obstinate leading the Uninformed.
Help Protect Our Heroes!
Urgent Emails From Marines, Navy and USAF Troops...
...asking for desperately needed replacement pads!
With our donations, helmet upgrade kits will be sent to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to those ordered to deploy in the near future.
The upgrade kits can be installed within 15 minutes by the soldiers themselves.
These are the benefits:
- Improved protection - the shock-absorbing pads keep the helmet from slapping the skull when hit with blast forces.
- Comfort - the helmets with new pads can be worn longer and more often; no need to remove them because of the pain. Bomb blasts can happen anytime!
- Stability - the pads help to keep the helmet firmly on top of the head and out of the eyes.
She Cared About Her Brother - And Other Marines!
MTSU Operation Helmet
The helmets currently worn by the Marines are engineered to protect against bullets, but offer only moderate protection from IEDs, improvised explosive devices. Hilary Stallings, wanted to do everything possible to reassure herself that her brother Chris would be OK during his hazardous tour of duty. She purchased a $70 helmet liner kit for Chris that dramatically improves the shock absorbing ability of his helmet.
Emails From Grateful Soldiers With New Helmet Pads
...from the "Operation Helmet" home page:
4 August: From jalabad: request for 30 kits for convoy/infantry...and the system we have is very uncomfortable. (Feel like hell: had to say 'sorry, we're broke')
18 Jul 2008: Here at [xxx] EOD company we will be sending a couple teams to Afghanistan to support [xxx]. We all have the crappy pads now. We have approx [xxx - a lot of] Techs here but I would say probably half of us could use them. if you cant get us that many, then any will suffice. Sgt , USMC
July 3, '08: The helmet pads you have sent replaced worn out pads that have torn and left soldiers vulnerable to injury. Thanks to you our soldiers are properly and more comfortably geared for combat. It is humbling to receive such rapid and dedicated support; our country needs more citizens like you during this time of war and sacrifice by our armed services.
Attention America: this one is actually addressed to you who've supported the troops either through Operation Helmet or other means.
June 25,'08: Doc, I apologize for not contacting you sooner, we've been pretty busy. The helmet pads were a hit and I've had my platoon sergeant ask if I could find ten more. If you could spare them we'd gladly take them. The dry heat of the summers here is affecting the cheap adhesive on the pads causing hem to pull apart even quicker. We'll be here for another ten months or so, but soon enough the heat will be replaced by snow and sub zero temps. It should make for an interesting time of year. Thank you again for all you do.
June 24 '08: Thank you very much sir, got them today will pass out the warriors who can use them. Again, don't know the words to express our gratitude to you for what you do, but we will dedicate our missions to good men and women like yourself from the United States in this struggle to build a nation for the people of Afghanistan, thanks for standing shoulder to shoulder with us. You are out here with us and it means a lot to all the Military personnel out here.
19 Jun 08: We received the pads a couple days ago. You wouldn't believe the difference in comfort and breathability! It is amazing how much better these are and everyone appreciates them so very much. I did screw up on the order though, i must have punched 10, which did cover half my platoon, is there a way to get an extra 10 or is it too late? I have given the ones that we got to the Joes and the other lower enlisted and said more was on the way cause I know that we do a lot of the harder work...lol
Cher Cheering For Operation Helmet
Dr. Bob explains the project and the pads
Cher on C-Span - Operation Helmet ( 14.06.2006 )
Consider this:
The life you save might save another!
Helmet Padding Upgrade
Here's my favorite link:
"This is URGENT - please act as soon as possible! There is no better way to support our troops!"
Contact info:
Operation Helmet
c/o Dr. Bob Meaders
74 Greenview Street
Montgomery, Texas 77356
Phone between 8 AM and 5 PM:
(936) 449-9706
Email & PayPal address: ophelm@operation-helmet.org
What Is The Cost Of Saving A Hero's Life?
$56 per upgrade for Marines
$87 for Navy and USAF
Can you imagine? For the cost of a Disneyland ticket, a family restaurant meal, or many other conveniences we could certainly postpone for a while - you can help to save the life of a soldier!
Any donations are gratefully accepted, but please give generously.
From the homepage of Operation Helmet you may also direct your complete upgrade donation to a specific soldier of your choice!
Dr. Bob testifies...
1190KEX Operation Helmet Report
Oregon Senator and Representative and Operation Helmet put pressure on Washington to equip troops with the superior protection of Oregon Aero helmet pads.
Where Is Our Government In This Matter?
Shouldn't the Military Leadership be more concerned?
Who should take care of our troops - the Pentagon or We the People?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byThe Military should have equipped our troops correctly from the start!
rebecca says:
Instead of spending needlessly over the past yrs so we could spend our budget so we get it next year; there should be a war fund set aside for the excess we had in the past. Silly that the soldiers don't have protective equipment.
Posted January 13, 2009
steveffeo says:
The military as a Vet I can say I am disgusted by this, all the Politicians can get there yearly raises while the people protected them go with inferior gear. This is truly a crime. I will be contacting Dr. Bob to assist and also make a donation.
Posted January 02, 2009
dianaparkerart says:
Whoa, I never knew this was a problem! Can't our government, who can bail out AUTO makers, buy these upgraded helmet pads for our troops? It's not as if some obscure company is trying to sell sell sell a product that isn't needed just to make mega$$, these are begged for directly from our soldiers! I hope they all get outfitted before the snow flies. God Bless Our Soldiers!
Posted December 18, 2008
Pastiche says:
Our government seems oblivious to the future costs of preventable physical and emotional injury to our troops. Many people do not understand that brain injury is PERMANENT. If we can prevent a TBI caused by impact, we MUST. I'm building a lens for this same cause. I have a friend who sustained a TBI 20 years ago from a fall, and although he looks "normal" and is only 44, he struggles with significant cognitive, emotional and skills impairment every day.
Posted October 20, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
Both. The Pentagon should be providing the troops with the best possible gear available. They know what's needed. We do not. We the People, should be providing the little extras--let them know their efforts are appreciated. Care packages etc. lets a soldier know they haven't been forgotten.
However, the Pentagon is not doing what they should, so I'll do what I can to help. I have two sons. If they were over there, I would want them to have the best protection possible.
Posted October 19, 2008
HighlyFavored says:
Just learned of your lens today and will be donating in the very near future. Had NO idea that the helmet kits our troops are issued are not suitable for what they must endure.
Thanks for all you and your organization are doing!
Posted September 16, 2008
TheInfamous7 says:
Its true all over the world!! Im from the UK and i served with 3rd Btn Parachute Regiment, Comms, Clothings, Protection, and dont even get me started on the SA80 Weapons they give us!! Imagine a Government that KNOWS they're sending troops out with Guns that have a 31% Jamming/Malfunction rate!!~#!! Never heard us complain tho! ;-) Excellent Lens Chef!! Good Work and Good Luck raising money for this cause!
Posted August 12, 2008
spirituality says:
This is outragious. I really can't believe the US army really sent out troups with outdated equipment. Don't they care for the lives of their men?
Posted August 07, 2008
stargazer00 says:
Operation Helmet is a fabulous way to help our guys and gals. As the wife of a Vietnam Vet and mom of a US Sailor I'm all for it.
Posted August 05, 2008
Come on - they need to save all the money they can for the war profiteers. We pay!
Blog Posts About Operation Helmet
- Nicky Hayden's Laguna Seca 2009 helmet scheme at R6Central.com
- Safety Equipment Discuss Nicky Hayden's Laguna Seca 2009 helmet scheme in Sportbike Operation forums; July 1 - Laguna Helmet designs LOL @ the caricature on the back.... LinkBack · Thread Tools. Nicky Hayden's Laguna Seca 2009 helmet ...
- Western commitment towards peace in the Great Lakes Region « Stop ...
- Blue helmets stay in their barracks, they rarely get out. They all seem to be counting the days to leave each position. And examples of this behaviour keep on taking place (read the last one here). With these two forces as main guarantors of ... and both Rwanda and the DRC joined forces in a military operation, Umoja Wetu (?Our Unity?), to put an end to the FDLR in the Kivus. Diplomatic commitment and international pressure were giving its fruits after months of talks. ...
- Operation Helmet
- Battling the military for helmet pads to protect troops against IEDs. Is the drinking water causing cancer at Camp Le Jeune? And learning about the Holocaust firsthand.
- Protect Our Troops 100
- Mar 17, 2009 David Spade Joins with Operation Helmet To Help Protect Our Troops 100% of donations go toward helmet kits. Vice Admiral Turner reported that 37, 292 Marines and 19, 245 Army troops participated in the assault on Guam. ...
The Power Of Squidoo Lensmasters
Thank You For Your Interest In Operation Helmet
This lens has been built for the Squidoo Activists program
Operation Helmet is now listed as official Squidoo Charity. Please consider converting your lens to donate to this most urgent cause.
Please rate this lens and come back soon. Thank you.
KimGiancaterino wrote...
Blessings to you, and our brave troops! It's pathetic that our media focuses on fluff and garbage, rather than life-saving stories like these.
Posted April 29, 2009
SemperFidelis wrote...
Great lens Chef! Angel Blessings on this one! ~ Colleen ;)
Posted April 23, 2009
pyngthyngs wrote...
What a fantastic lens on a very important issue. Great job Chef!
Posted February 25, 2009
Jewelsofawe wrote...
in reply to Denii I have the widget at this link. Just go there and click on it and it should take you to where the widget is to grab it for yourself.
Spirituality Group
Posted January 29, 2009
Denii wrote
in reply to Jewelsofawe Where do I get the widget for sending cards to our soldiers?
Posted January 29, 2009
Squidoo-Pat wrote...
It goes without saying that the department responsible for providing gear for our military should be providing the best gear available. Since private business almost always beats government issue (fill in the blank), we should let private industry provide innovative solutions for the military.
Let's not forget our vets, many of whom are forced to live their lives wearing prosthetics and sitting in wheelchairs
Posted January 08, 2009
pvm wrote...
very powerfful cause you are promoting, I to don't see why the government doesn't provide top quality equipment for our soldiers. I know of one brand new foundation I just heard about called the Foundation For American Wounded SoldiersIf you are a military soldier that is need of some extra assistance , then come and check out "The David H Brooks Foundation for American Wounded Soldiers"
Posted January 06, 2009
steveffeo wrote...
One of the most important causes and lenses on Squidoo God Bless you for your hard work
Posted January 02, 2009
msbaby wrote...
When I first started reading about the lack of proper equipment given to our troops, I was amazed! How do they sleep at night? Sarah Palin's son is in service. You would think that she would push forward in the cause with such a close personal connection. I would love to hear her speak on the issue because of that.
Posted December 14, 2008
Jewelsofawe wrote...
Great lens. I have a widget to send cards to our troops for free on a few of my lenses. I think one is my Spirituality Group lens. Great work here chefkeem
Posted December 13, 2008
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Thank you for your interest!
Lensmaster chefkeem, aka Achim Thiemermann, has been a member since January 29 2008, has rated 2,532 lenses, favorited 1,936, and has created 121 lenses from scratch. Achim Thiemermann donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and Operation Helmet. This member's top-ranked page is "Best Tres Leches Coconut Macaroons". See all my lenses
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