Cool Breezes Are Generally Harmless

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.