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| Is this an expression of equality, or what?
Posted: 8/30/2004 7:34:26 PM | I found this in my wanderings and I thought I'd share it with ya'll. I think my ex would love to have one of these for Christmas:
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When women just ‘gotta go’
By Gina Cavallaro
Times staff writer
BAQUBAH, Iraq — Women tend to be more reluctant to drink mass quantities of water in hot environments because of the inconvenience of having to urinate frequently.
“Convoys are a big thing,” said Army 1st Lt. Kimberly Fung, a physician’s assistant. “I’ve seen males and females who don’t want to drink because they don’t want to pee.”
But staying hydrated is a key element in preventing heat injuries in Iraq, where temperatures typically climb well over 100 degrees during summer.
Now, the Army is providing women with an alternative, something Capt. Francisco Dominicci, a brigade nurse at Camp Warhorse in Iraq, said he hadn’t seen before he arrived in Kuwait in February.
It’s called the female urinary director, or FUD, a device shaped much like a cupped hand with a spout and extended tube. The cup is placed against the body and, with the tube extended through the front opening in the pants, the urine is directed out and away.
Often, women will slice the top off an empty 1.5-liter water bottle and do their best to relieve themselves while on the road. But it’s awkward and requires removing clothing, as does squatting next to a vehicle. So far, the FUD appears to be a big hit with female troops.
“I’ve experimented with sitting in a vehicle with a bottle,” said Army 1st Lt. Laurie Godin, a medical services corps officer who works at the civil military operations center in Baqubah. “It was difficult, but it worked with some maneuvering.”
The FUD, Godin said, is an excellent alternative, and one she has used on long convoys.
“You could get out, go behind a vehicle like the guys and not have to drop your drawers and be hanging out in the wind,” Godin said.
Col. Joan Sullivan, division surgeon for the National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division at Fort Drum, N.Y., said she ordered two FUDs for each of the 128 women who work on the division headquarters staff and recommended all division units acquire them for female soldiers. She heard about the device from someone in theater.
“Our intention is to get them early enough so [female soldiers] can try them here before we go over to Iraq,” said Sullivan, whose obstetrics and gynecology practice will be put on hold during her deployment to Iraq with the 42nd ID late this year.
Not all female soldiers have been issued the device, but many said they wouldn’t mind trying it.
“It’s been brought to my attention, but I haven’t seen one,” said Army Sgt. Lisa Cole, 26, a platoon team leader with 1st Military Police Company, 1st Infantry Division.
“It’s a lot easier for the guys to go when we’re on the road,” she said. “But working with the guys, they treat us like sisters and they’re not going to spy on their sisters.” | |
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Ruby_
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Joined: 7/10/2004
Msg: 8 | |
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yna6
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Joined: 5/2/2004
Msg: 9 | |
| Re: Is this an expression of equality, or what?
Posted: 9/9/2004 8:22:20 AM | | It is actually an old idea....and this thing has been on the public market for years. It happens to fit into a military application and is just now getting attention. Big deal. | |
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