July 16,
2008: While the infantry really
appreciated air-conditioned sleeping accommodations in Iraq and Afghanistan,
there was some initially fear that this would make troops more susceptible to
heat exhaustion when they were running around in the heat with all that armor
and combat gear on. It was already known that it took new troops about two
weeks to get used to operating in the heat. Combat experience soon demonstrated that as
long as the troops spent most of their time out in the heat, they did not lose
their acclimatization to the heat.
While the
infantry don't get to sleep in air conditioned comfort every night (they often
spend weeks, or months, without it), when they do get it, it's a big boost to
morale, and an antidote for combat stress.
