Tampons

[Warph]

Tampons to the rescue in Iraq ??  Don't worry, it's a good story, and worth reading.  It's
even humorous in parts.  It's from the mother of a Marine in Iraq .

My son told me how wonderful the care packages we had sent them from the ladies
auxiliary were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you.

He said that one guy we'll call Marine X, got a female care package and everyone was
giving him a hard time. My son said, 'Marine X got some really nice smelling
lotion and everyone really likes it, so every time he goes to sleep they steal
it from him.' I told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he
wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about
Marine X because every time I send something to him, he shares it with Marine
X.

He said when my husband and I sent the last care package, Marine X came over to his cot
picked up the box, started fishing through it, and said, 'What'd we get this time?'

But my son said they had the most fun with Marine X's package. He said he wasn't sure
who it was supposed to go to, but the panties were size 20, and he said one of
the guys got on top of the Humvee and jumped off with the panties over his head
and yelled, 'Look at me, I'm an Airborne Ranger!!!!'

One of the guys attached the panties to an antenna and it blew in the wind like a
windsock. He said it entertained them for quite awhile. Then of course.......
they had those tampons. When he brought this up, my imagination just went running,
but he continued.

My son said they had to go on a mission and Marine X wanted the Chap-Stick and lotion
for the trip. He grabbed a bunch of the items from his care package and got in
the Humvee. As luck would have it he grabbed the tampons too, and my son said
everyone was teasing him about 'not forgetting his feminine hygiene products.'

He said things went well for a while, then the convoy was ambushed and a Marine was
shot. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. They were
administering first aid but couldn't get the bleeding to slow down, and someone
said, 'Hey! Use Marine X's tampons!' My son said they put the tampon in the
wound. At this point my son profoundly told Me, 'Mom, did you know that tampons
expand?' ('Well....yeah!')

They successfully slowed the bleeding until the guy got better medical attention.
When they went to check on him later, the surgeon told them, 'You guys saved
his life. If you hadn't stopped that bleeding he would have bled to death.' My
Son said, 'Mom, the tampons sent by the Marine Moms by mistake saved a Marine's
life.'

At this point I asked him, 'Well, what did you do with the rest of the
tampons?'

He said, 'Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I
kept two for our first aid kit.'

I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines. I can't believe that
something that started out as a mistake then turned into a joke, ended up saving
someone's life. My sister said she doesn't believe in mistakes. She believes God
had a plan all along. She believes that 'female care package' was sent to Marine
X to save our Marine.

Either way, our efforts have boosted the morale of many Marines, provided much needed
items for our troops, AND saved the life of a Marine!  God bless every one of you
for your efforts and hard work, and God bless our Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force
and all our military service personnel.

[Judy Harder]

What a beautiful story.

See, God doesn't make mistakes..............He is good!
Thanks for sharing and yes, I could picture all those guys having
fun with their toys?!

Bless you.

[W. Gray]

Both tampons and the old style Kotex pads were used by some GIs in Vietnam.

A GI issue bandage is a relatively large item (compared to the nonissue stuff) and the standard issue was one per individual, although more could be carried, if desired.

The issue bandage was supposed to be used only on the man carrying the bandage and not on anyone else. The theory was that if you used your bandage on someone else, you would have no bandage for yourself if you were hit.

However, if a person had multiple wounds, more bandages were needed and this is where the non issue stuff came into use.

The nonissue items were more compact, more lightweight, and were supposed to be a better bandage than the issue bandage.

The PX system within Viet Nam had a difficult time keeping these items stocked and sometimes had to ration them.

The few females who were assigned in Viet Nam (either as GIs, military civilian personnel, Red Cross, USO, etc.) often complained because the GIs were buying the stuff before they had a chance to purchase.

[Wilma]

My husband used Kotex to pack a steer that was bleeding excessively.  He needed something that was sterile and absorbent.  The steer survived.

[Diane Amberg]

In the 60's and 70's we very commonly used sanitary supplies on the ambulance to stop bleeding. Before big trauma dressings were common we used disposable diapers too. So, not new at all! 5x9 gunshot dressings looked just like sanitary pads with longer tails.

[srkruzich]

I keep a pack of both in a first aid kit as well as a couple boxes of each in my SHTF supplies primarily for major injuries.  You don't know if your going to get hurt at any time and if the SHTF you might get shot defending your supplies.

Another thing to get for first aid and major wounds is this Chitosan wound dressing.
The marines used it in the wars. It stops bleeding almost immediately and even those wounds that are extremely bad.  I have heard from my son that they stopped a massive blood hemmorage from limbs being blown off or from massive fragmentation going into the abdomen.
its just a polimer sheet that is laced with shrimp chitosan.  ITs available now at the drugstore.  I consider it a must have for your first aid kit.  (warning if your allergic to shellfish don't use it)


KytoStat: A natural  antibacterial choice to control bleeding  First, HemCon® Bandages were proven to be effective lifesavers in combat. HemCon is a top choice of America's Armed Forces to stop severe bleeding. Now the same advanced, natural blood-stopping technology - Chitosan (kyto-san)- can go right into your first aid kit.

    * Advanced blood stopping technology
    * Blocks antibiotic resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) with an antibacterial barrier
    * KytoStat adapted for home use - same chitosan-based technology used by U.S. Military, EMTs and medical professionals to save lives
    * Now available for your first aid kit
    * Quickly stops bleeding, seals and protects wound
    * Shortens long bleeding times (as from blood thinners)
    * Easy to use, painless to remove
    * Safe, natural, latex-free
    * Perfect for first aid use in home, auto, camping and coaching
    * Effective for people on blood thinners as well as hemodialysis, and diabetic patients

KytoStat. The new first name in first aid.

Warnings

Contains chitosan from shellfish.

For medical emergencies, or suspected allergic reaction, seek medical attention.