When it comes to the war in Iraq, we Americans would most likely agree on one thing—it’s extremely hot for our soldiers. Combine 120-degree days with the added weight of a military uniform and body armor, and you get some extreme living conditions.

Enter Kim Smith, sales assistant at Wintergreen Real Estate and active “Marine Mom,” who has come up with a clever way of both cooling off her Marines and providing them with some much-needed fun.

Smith’s 19-year-old son, Lance Corporal Christopher Bryant, is currently serving his first tour with the Marines in Iraq, and recently wrote home with a simple request—for Mom to send a squirt gun over with her weekly care package. Soon after, Smith began receiving similar requests from Bryant’s comrades. Through donations from many of the sales agents at Wintergreen Real Estate Company, as well as additional support from KB Toys in Staunton, VA, Smith was able to raise enough money to purchase and ship 40 “super soaker” squirt guns to her son’s squadron in Iraq. KB Toys even threw in nearly a dozen cases of water balloons to add to the fun.

When asked why she’s doing this, Smith calmly states, “He may be America’s Marine, but he’s also my son. And I want him to smile.”

Lance Corporal Christopher Bryant

Read more about Kim's idea in the papers below:

The News Virginian

The NewsLeader

The Hook