Trucks to Troops

Did you see this story? I just came across it, and I had to share it with you. The trucks in "Trucks to Troops" refers to toy trucks. The remote control toys that my kids loved playing with. Somebody just realized that those toy trucks could be pretty useful for our soldiers. Why didn't someone think of this sooner?
From the "Trucks to Troops" website:

The seeds for Trucks To Troops were planted in 2007, when Ernie Fessenden stopped in to Everything Hobby, his local hobby shop in Rochester Minnesota. Ernie told friend and store owner Kevin Guy he was looking for something to send his brother Staff Sergeant Chris Fessenden, serving in Iraq. Chris' job was to patrol for IED's and roadside bombs, and whenever there was something suspicious, he would have to get a closer look, one of the many hazards our fighting men and woman face everyday. Kevin and Ernie came up with the idea to customize a remote-controlled truck, the Traxxas Stampede©, complete with wireless camera, to make Chris' job easier and safer. They figured if Chris could use this truck to roll up and inspect things from a distance, it would keep him a little farther from harm's way. They were right.

Since then the truck has been a vital asset in the field, only Kevin and Ernie didn't know how vital until August 2011, when Ernie had received an email from his brother now serving in Afghanistan. Chris apologized saying the the truck was gone, loaned out to another patrol searching for roadside bombs. The story unfolded that the other patrol had come to an area that looked suspicious. They wanted to find an alternate way around, so they dropped the truck out and put it to work. As they were rolling it around, the truck hit a trip wire and blew up, a trip wire that they estimated was rigged to about 500 pounds of high explosives, saving up to six lives. Right after hearing this, Kevin and Ernie immediately packed up another truck and sent it overseas.

Kevin at Everything Hobby decided to take this project to the next level, and Trucks To Troops was born. The mission is to get our soldiers as many remote controlled trucks as we can, and get them there as fast as possible. Since the first trucks were put into action, the technology we can outfit them with has advanced dramatically, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve performance. Now the trucks have more capabilities than ever, using a mix of off-the-shelf components, and cutting edge technology.
With your support, we will continue to send these trucks to support our troops.

Trucks To Troops provides our servicemen and women with remote-controlled gadgets to help make their jobs easier and safer.
These custom-fitted RC trucks were developed to offer our soldiers in the field a quick and safe alternative to seek out vital information.
If you would like to support the Trucks To Troops cause, you may send checks to this address: Trucks To Troops
c/o Everything Hobby
1306 7th Street NW
#11
Rochester, MN 55901