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The FReeper Foxhole - The Army's Field Laundry - Somebody has to do it. - January 29th, 2005
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Posted on 01/28/2005 10:31:35 PM PST by snippy_about_it



Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.



...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

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The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

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The US Army's New Field Laundry




LADS


by Jonathan Given {Excerpt:}

The Laundry Advanced System (LADS) is well on its way to replacing the Army’s current field laundry on a basis of one-LADS to four-M85s. So far, LADS has been fielded to the 259th Quarter-master Company, Fort Bragg, NC; 157th Quartermaster Company, Fort Hood, TX; 16th Quartermaster Company, Fort Lee, VA; and the 229th Quartermaster Company, Fort Polk, LA. Also, the US Army Quartermaster Center and School at Fort Lee, VA, and the US Army Ordnance Center and School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, have received LADS and training devices to support their missions.



The LADS has performed extremely well. In addition to deployments within the continental United States to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA, and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA, nine LADS recently were deployed to Jordan and Egypt as part of Exercise Bright Star. Also, eight LADS currently are deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Southwest Asia. The increased reliability of the LADS combined with its increased efficiency have provided some notable results. The former M85 laundry system processed about 30 tons of laundry in six months during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. The LADS processed about 130 tons of laundry in less than three months during Exercise Bright Star in Egypt alone.

To date, 24 LADS have been fielded out of a total of 146 to be built. There will be fieldings of the new M871A3, a 40-foot semitrailer, and all LADS will be "retrofitted" to this configuration. Benefits of configuring the LADS on the M871A3 include on-board fuel storage, fuel/water separator and quick-connect fuel fitting, and a storage locker for equipment and spare parts.

Capabilities

The LADS processes up to 400 pounds of laundry per hour, dry-to-dry. Soldiers’ clothes are washed, extracted and dried all in the same laundry drum. This system eliminates the need to transfer clothes between different pieces of laundry equipment. The LADS reuses and recycles water to reduce the water consumption from 24,000 gallons per day to 400 gallons per day. The wastewater is reduced from 20,000 gallons per day to 40 gallons.

Lessons From the Field



Soldiers frequently complain about wrinkled clothing from the LADS. Some wrinkling is unavoidable. The laundry is processed in mesh bags to minimize lost clothing and to expedite the processing of soldiers’ laundry. Industrial laundries use mesh bags and acknowledge the decrease in product quality as an acceptable exchange for decreased processing times and reduced labor costs. Wrinkling can be kept to a minimum by removing the laundry from the bags immediately after it is finished instead of leaving the laundry in the mesh bags for hours. Supervisors need to properly manage laundry-processing personnel. Use available personnel to receive and bag the bulk of the available laundry before starting the LADS. As each laundry cycle is completed in the LADS, have personnel available to take the laundry out of the bags and prepare the laundry for return to customers.

It is important to note that supervisors and preventive medicine personnel should observe the mesh bags for overstuffing. The bags provided with LADS are specifically designed to allow the clothing room to move inside the bag. The maximum for each mesh bag is about seven pounds of clothing (three pieces of uniform and three complete sets of undergarments). Each customer’s clothing should be split into two bags for the 15 pounds of laundry allowed. Each mesh bag has a cloth tag for writing an alphanumeric identification with indelible marker.



The identification tag on the mesh bag is used to match the customers’ clothing back to the customers. If the mesh bags are overloaded, the clothes will not get clean, they will not dry, and they will get very wrinkled. Supervisors and preventive medicine personnel should be very concerned about this. Aside from the health and laundry quality issues, the increased weight of one or more overstuffed mesh bags will generate drum-balancing problems during extraction cycles. The failure to spend time properly filling the mesh bags will ultimately cause delays in the laundry cycles.

Each LADS is issued with 300 mesh bags (100 each of green, white and blue). That quantity sup-ports five complete loads (dual-drum loads) for more than five hours of operation. Operators should be able to process the cleaned clothing and return the used mesh bags to the laundry receiving point in that time. The multiple colors provide the flexibility of combining different units’ laundry in the same laundry drum. The different units are identified by the different colors.



There have been some complaints of clothing shrinkage. In all investigated cases, it was discovered that a few articles of clothing were processed in a single drum for the complete laundry cycle (40 minutes of dry time) at a very high heat (up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit). Smaller loads require reduced drying temperatures to avoid shrinkage. Drying temperatures can be modified at the beginning of each laundry cycle (160 degrees F to 110 degrees F in 5-degree increments). The default drying temperature is 160 degrees F. This is adequate for a full load of laundry of correctly filled mesh bags.




FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links




TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: fieldservices; freeperfoxhole; history; military; quartermasters; samsdayoff; usarmy; veterans
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To: Tax-chick

I do my laundry once a month whether it needs cleaning or not. ;-)


41 posted on 01/29/2005 7:44:23 AM PST by SAMWolf (Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
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To: Valin
1964 Stanley Kubrick's"Dr Strangelove" premieres

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies. Now look, boys, I ain't much of a hand at makin' speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin' on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin'. Heck, I reckon you wouldn't even be human bein's if you didn't have some pretty strong personal feelin's about nuclear combat. I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a-countin' on you and by golly, we ain't about to let 'em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I'd say that you're all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with. That goes for ever' last one of you regardless of your race, color or your creed. Now let's get this thing on the hump - we got some flyin' to do.

IMHO, one of the ten best films ever made.

42 posted on 01/29/2005 7:48:20 AM PST by SAMWolf (Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
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To: Valin

The Public School system in this Country sucks.


43 posted on 01/29/2005 7:49:16 AM PST by SAMWolf (Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
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To: bentfeather

Good morning feather.


44 posted on 01/29/2005 7:53:56 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Iris7
Soap is a wonderful thing.

Yes it is. :-)

45 posted on 01/29/2005 7:55:54 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Iris7

Whoa. Get out of the way! Neat truck.


46 posted on 01/29/2005 7:56:32 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: snippy_about_it

Morning snippy. Interesting subject today. I am going to my daughter's birthday party soon, but will read about laundry when I get back.


47 posted on 01/29/2005 7:56:45 AM PST by Soaring Feather
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To: Aeronaut

Morning Aeronaut.


48 posted on 01/29/2005 7:56:54 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Professional Engineer

Morning PE going for a bit of a warm up today.

Dry and warm in the manse, thanks.


49 posted on 01/29/2005 7:58:52 AM PST by Soaring Feather
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To: SAMWolf

This has REALLY got my dander up.


50 posted on 01/29/2005 8:08:18 AM PST by Valin (Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield)
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To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; All

January 29, 2005

Ice-Cream Man

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. —2 Timothy 2:22

Bible In One Year: Exodus 5-7


Little Jeff was trying his best to save money to buy his mother a present. It was a terrible struggle because he gave in so easily to the temptation to buy goodies from the ice-cream man whenever the brightly colored van came through the neighborhood.

One night after his mother had tucked him in bed, she overheard him pray, "Please, God, help me run away when the ice-cream man comes tomorrow." Even at his young age he had learned that one of the best ways to overcome temptation is to avoid what appeals to our weaknesses.

All believers are tempted to sin. Yet they need not give in. The Lord provides the way to be victorious over evil enticements (1 Corinthians 10:13). But we must do our part. Sometimes that involves avoiding situations that would contribute to our spiritual defeat.

The apostle Paul admonished Timothy to run away from the evil desires of youth (2 Timothy 2:22). He was to keep his distance from the temptations that might cause him to yield because of their strong appeal. That's good advice.

If possible, we should never let ourselves be in the wrong places or with people who will tempt us to do the things we should be avoiding.

Be sure to run from the "ice-cream man"! —Richard De Haan

It's wise to flee when tempted—
A fool is one who'd stay;
For those who toy with evil
Soon learn it doesn't pay. —D. De Haan

We fall into temptation when we don't flee from it.

51 posted on 01/29/2005 8:16:18 AM PST by The Mayor (Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.)
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To: Humal
Here is a good link to the Quartermasters and how they operate.
52 posted on 01/29/2005 8:18:51 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: alfa6

Good morning alfa6.


53 posted on 01/29/2005 8:19:21 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: E.G.C.

Good morning EGC. Just a quick hello and out the door I go!


54 posted on 01/29/2005 8:19:50 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Professional Engineer

Good morning PE.


55 posted on 01/29/2005 8:20:11 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: GailA

Some days are just good for the couch, a blanket and a good book!


56 posted on 01/29/2005 8:20:50 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Tax-chick

Thanks, have a good day.


57 posted on 01/29/2005 8:21:27 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: SAMWolf

It's a shame you don't live near me, or you could bring your wash over and I'd do it, for a consideration!


58 posted on 01/29/2005 8:21:56 AM PST by Tax-chick (Some people say that Life is the thing, but I prefer reading.)
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To: Professional Engineer

Everyone in the service has an important job to do!


59 posted on 01/29/2005 8:22:07 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: snippy_about_it

Turns out we didn't ride this morning, after all. Sleet and snowstorm has started!


60 posted on 01/29/2005 8:22:33 AM PST by Tax-chick (Some people say that Life is the thing, but I prefer reading.)
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