WILMINGTON, Mass. — To help keep soldiers who are fighting in Iraq safer, uniform services provider UniFirst Corp. donated 450 custom flame-resistant (FR) T-shirts to the Army National Guard this month.
The donation — accepted on the military’s behalf by Operation Homefront, a national organization that collects private donations to U.S. soldiers — was the result of the Pentagon’s recent announcement that FR uniforms were to become standard issue for all U.S. troops serving in the Middle East as of this year.
The desert-colored shirts are manufactured with a fabric featuring a chemically treated finish and an 88/12 cotton-nylon blend for maximum comfort, durability and safety. The lightweight, protective fibers are self-extinguishing, meaning they won’t continue to burn if exposed to an electrical arc or open flame.
UniFirst used a flame-resistant ink to silk-screen the Army National Guard’s slogan, “Always Ready, Always There,” on the shirts.
“As a Massachusetts-based manufacturer and supplier of uniforms, work clothing and protective garments, we asked ourselves if there was something we could do to let our hometown soldiers know we’re proud of their efforts and are behind them in their deployment,” says Cynthia Croatti, UniFirst executive vice president. “Donating these FR shirts seemed a perfect answer.”
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