Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Battlefield Protection: Seeing is Believing
MOSUL, IRAQ – February 28, 2006 – 1st Lt. Anthony Aguilar, Infantry Platoon Leader assigned to B Company, Task Force2-1 Infantry, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, boarded his Stryker armored vehicle for another day of another patrol.
But this patrol was far from ordinary. “Our patrol was struck by a massive IED, launching shrapnel and debris at high velocities toward the vehicle,” Lt. Aguilar recounted. “I was thrown into the hull of the Stryker and later discovered that my eye-pro, the ‘Sawfly’ yellow tinted lenses, prevented a shard of shrapnel from contacting my face, saving my eyesight and preventing serious injury. The shrapnel punctured the lens, but did not penetrate. The shrapnel was large enough to dislodge the eyewear from my face and force me into the vehicle. I wore the glasses the rest of the patrol, confident they could still do the job.”
Lt. Aguilar is one of the lucky ones. With all the media attention on body armor, very little has been said about eye protection. A soldier’s visual acuity is the most important tool in his arsenal of weapons. Yet, the rate of battlefield eye injuries has risen to 16% due to increased firepower and explosives in a largely urban setting. Add to that, environmental elements such as wind, sand and debris. Although the eye occupies less than half of a percent of the overall body surface, there is nothing to prevent the smallest bit of debris from penetrating the soft tissue. Add the high velocities of shrapnel and you have easy access to the brain and probable death. Over 90% of all battlefield eye injuries can be prevented. Why aren’t more of these injuries prevented?
Have you ever visited a plant or facility and are required to don a pair of safety glasses for the tour? Feel a little dizzy when it’s over? Notice the employees either quickly reaching for their glasses when management approaches or are wearing their own version of “eyewear protection”. I too, have to plead “mea culpa” since I find most shooting glasses hurt after a time or distort my vision (excuse #242 why I missed that shot) and I am more likely to wear my stylish sunglasses, which offer, mind you, NO PROTECTION! Most people, including soldiers, do not know the value of eye protection.
So, what are our soldiers looking for in eye protection? Protection. Comfort. Full-view Vision. Interchangeable Lenses. Prescription ready. And last, but certainly not least, a “coolness” factor.
Here’s where Lt. Aguilar made the right choice in eyewear protection. He chose the Sawfly Military Eyewear System from Revision Eyewear Ltd. because the Sawfly fit the bill in protection, comfort, full-view vision, interchangeable lenses and looks great. But on February 28, 2006 on a clear day in Mosul, did he care that the Sawfly was on the US Army Eyewear list for US Soldiers, or that the Sawfly has received the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certification (Z87.1-2003) that stipulates that eyewear must resist a one gram steel pellet fired at a velocity of 150 ft/second? Did he care that in an independent test by the Munitions Experimental Test Centre in 2004 the Sawfly lens successfully resisted the one gram steel pellet fired at a velocity of 905 ft/second?
You bet he did.
For more information on Revision Eyewear Ltd. and their family of ballistic eyewear protection: the Sawfly Military Eyewear System, the Bullet Ant Tactical Goggle and the new Desert Locust Goggle, log on to http://www.revisioneyewear.com/ or drop me a comment.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The War Ain't Over Yet - Your Support Is Needed Now More Than Ever
AmericanSnipers.org is an organization of currently operational American SWAT snipers, as well as snipers from various military branches that have banded together to support their brothers on the front line fighting the war on terrorism. Working together without pay, their only incentive to make sure our troops have what they need to get the job done and get home safely.
Through AmericanSnipers.org you can support our snipers overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq and many of the world’s other hot spots, by sending products from basic hygiene items to specialized gear such as optics, holsters and rifle accessories. Log on to http://www.americansnipers.org/ and check out the list of needed items and make a donation. Our soldiers haven’t forgotten us, let’s not forget them.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
A PR Company for the Outdoor Market is Born
Welcome to the Laura Burgess, LLC - Public Relations Blog. This blog will not be another how-to PR blog. I figure that there is enough information already available for anyone trying to figure out how to get the media's attention. This blog is dedicated to my customers - both clients and media. This blog will serve as a platform by which I can tell you about the products and services from these great companies. Perhaps, one of these blogs will provide you with a new angle to write from. But what are these products?
I represent some of the finest companies in the law enforcement, military, hunting, shooting sports and outdoor markets. How did a girl like me get mixed up in a predominately male industry? It started in 1991, after a failed attempt to get a children's clothing business off the ground. I needed a job and went to my local job agency. They had a company that needed me immediately. So, the very next day, I set out to find a company called SIGARMS in Exeter, New Hampshire. As I was walking in the parking lot, I met a gentlemen who worked there, and upon entering the building, asked what SIGARMS made.
"Guns," he said motioning towards the walls lined with posters of guns images.
"Oh, well, that's very nice," I thought. "I'll be looking elsewhere as soon as possible!"
Funny, how things have a way of working out. I stayed for thirteen years, working my way from a warehouse worker to Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications. And, why did I stay? Because I found the people in the LE/hunting/shooting/fishing/outdoor industries to be honest, helpful, and caring.
But after many years of service, they let me go. Yes, I can proudly say I was set free with a group of distinguised employees, many who were in upper management, as these kinds of house cleanings are still rather popular with new management.
So, no more than a day had passed and I was receiving phone calls from a number of CEO's of the larger gun manufacturers. Jobs were offered and denied. Finally, one of them suggested I start my own company utilizing my PR skills and awesome media list I had acquired. Within 15 days of being let go, Laura Burgess, LLC was born. Since then, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with some of the industry's giants as well as many of their start-up companies. I have worked with Smith & Wessson and Remington and many other mid-size to small companies.
My current client list says it all. I am honored to work with companies that are best in class - in design, production, service and community awareness. So, each blog will introduce you to a company and start with a product that you may not know the story behind. Stay tuned and you will see the stories and products behind BlackHawk Products Group, Hardigg Cases, Laser Shot, Inc., Nighthawk Custom, Revision Eyewear, Ltd., STEYR ARMS, INC., and U.S. Cavalry.
I represent some of the finest companies in the law enforcement, military, hunting, shooting sports and outdoor markets. How did a girl like me get mixed up in a predominately male industry? It started in 1991, after a failed attempt to get a children's clothing business off the ground. I needed a job and went to my local job agency. They had a company that needed me immediately. So, the very next day, I set out to find a company called SIGARMS in Exeter, New Hampshire. As I was walking in the parking lot, I met a gentlemen who worked there, and upon entering the building, asked what SIGARMS made.
"Guns," he said motioning towards the walls lined with posters of guns images.
"Oh, well, that's very nice," I thought. "I'll be looking elsewhere as soon as possible!"
Funny, how things have a way of working out. I stayed for thirteen years, working my way from a warehouse worker to Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications. And, why did I stay? Because I found the people in the LE/hunting/shooting/fishing/outdoor industries to be honest, helpful, and caring.
But after many years of service, they let me go. Yes, I can proudly say I was set free with a group of distinguised employees, many who were in upper management, as these kinds of house cleanings are still rather popular with new management.
So, no more than a day had passed and I was receiving phone calls from a number of CEO's of the larger gun manufacturers. Jobs were offered and denied. Finally, one of them suggested I start my own company utilizing my PR skills and awesome media list I had acquired. Within 15 days of being let go, Laura Burgess, LLC was born. Since then, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with some of the industry's giants as well as many of their start-up companies. I have worked with Smith & Wessson and Remington and many other mid-size to small companies.
My current client list says it all. I am honored to work with companies that are best in class - in design, production, service and community awareness. So, each blog will introduce you to a company and start with a product that you may not know the story behind. Stay tuned and you will see the stories and products behind BlackHawk Products Group, Hardigg Cases, Laser Shot, Inc., Nighthawk Custom, Revision Eyewear, Ltd., STEYR ARMS, INC., and U.S. Cavalry.
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