Washington, DC  -  From inflatable shelters used as field hospitals and chemical decontamination centers to transport systems that move supplies, cargo and entire tanks across the desert, Southern Missouri is making a difference for our men and women in uniform.  Whether you are in West Plains,  Bonne Terre or elsewhere in the Eighth District, men and women on the home front are working hard to lend a hand to those on the front lines.

    Companies all over the country are building and producing many of the supplies seen as we watch news coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Many of those images are of aircraft, weapons and tanks. But what about the trailer that gets the tank to the battlefield, the transport system that loads much needed supplies on our aircraft or the tents and chemical treatment suits we see our troops using?

    All of these items are important too. That is why I am so proud that men and women from Southern Missouri have been developing and building these much-needed products. Systems and Electronics Incorporated (SEI) of West Plains, a supplier of high-tech, integrated military electronics and support equipment is just one employer providing support to our troops. The 600 employees of the West Plains facility have built three pieces of equipment that are currently being used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The M1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter is a semi-trailer which carries armored vehicles and other heavy equipment like the Abrams Main Battle Tank.  Last March the U.S. Army purchased nearly 2,400 of these transporters. They are being used today by the 4th Infantry Division. Another product built in West Plains is the Tunner 60K Aircraft Cargo Loader (Tunner).  The Tunner is an elevated deck with a power conveyor belt system used to load cargo onto aircraft.  Many Tunners being used by the U.S. Air Force are located throughout Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as at many of the undisclosed locations in the military theater. The facility also has built the M989A1 Heavy Expanded Mobility Ammunition Trailer (HEMAT).  The HEMAT is being used by the 3rd Infantry Division to utilize the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).  The HEMAT has terrific off-road mobility which has been critical to success on the rugged terrain in the desert and throughout the battle area.

   Another company in our district contributing to Operation Iraqi Freedom is Production Products.  With one of their four facilities located in Bonne Terre, the company manufactures chemical and biological protective gear.  Since the Bonne Terre workforce has a tremendous amount of experience in textiles, they are using those talents to make bio-chem suits, tents and cases for pilot and co-pilot helmets. The pilot and co-pilot helmets for helicopter and fixed wing military aircraft are being used in our aircraft in Iraq.  Likewise, the EMEDS “over pressure” inflatable shelter systems being used by the U.S. Air Force as field hospitals and command posts in Kuwait and Iran are also built at this facility. Though no chemical attacks have occurred thus far, these products give an extra added level of security that is both welcome and necessary as we undertake the grave dangers associated with Saddam Hussein. The company is also developing other “collective equipment” to aid first responders, hospitals and others in law enforcement right here in the United States including casualty care systems and chem bio protective clothing to protect our first responders in the event of a chemical-biological attack.

   These are by no means the only companies in Southern Missouri lending a hand in the war effort, but they are a part of home front history. As in World War II, the war is bringing communities together in a common and united front. Back then, more than six million women were recruited to the workforce with images like Rosie the Riveter. They became police officers and cab drivers.  Others operated buses, cranes, and tractors. Times have changed, but the desire to serve our troops has not faded. So to all those working at SEI, Production Products or any of the many other companies that supply, outfit and equip our armed forces, thank you. Your work, your contribution and your dedication is making a real difference for those who need it the most – our men and women in uniform.