Several people have asked about the "no glitter" rule at Operation Write Home. Glitter on their uniforms can make soldiers targets for enemy guns, especially at night. Apparently, glitter shows up in night vision goggles really well.
Even though plenty of OWH cards go to troops who aren't on the front lines (naval ships, air force groups, etc.), an errant flake of glitter could possibly cost a soldier his or her life. And y'all know how glitter gets everywhere!
I lifted this directly from OWH's site:
No glitter. Really! Glitter is a safety hazard for our heroes, so no cards with any glitter that will flake off the card are accepted. Stickles or pens that apply glitter that will NOT rub off can be acceptable, but please check your cards by rubbing it on a sweater. If it flakes off, it cannot be used. Small gems are fine.
So I'm careful to clean up my area after using glitter (wet wipes are wonderful, but a damp Bounty paper towel over everything works well, too) and before making cards for OWH. I store those finished cards in a photo box that's never seen glitter.
So there you have it. No glitter for the troops. It's a matter of life or death!
Thank you for sharing this with your readers, Susan! As I like to remind OWHers, there is no glitter so beautiful that it's worth risking someone's life!
ReplyDeleteAlso I encourage folks to be cautious about the glitter paper with embedded glitter. It may seem safe but sometimes stray glitter can escape from a cut edge, so be on the look out for that if you choose to use such papers.
Thank you so much for the information!!!! I had no idea but now that you said it... it completely makes sense!!!
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