Virginia Shipyard Workers & Welders On a Lifesaving Mission

From the Washington Post

In normal times, the civil service employees at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard repair aircraft carriers, submarines and other ships. But these are not normal times.

Navy welders, electricians, boilermakers and steelworkers from the shipyard are "up-armoring" Army trucks at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait -- wrapping soldiers in heavy metal to protect them as they drive ammunition and supplies through Iraq.

In answering the call to serve in Kuwait, the Navy civilians from Portsmouth, Va., also serve as a dramatic reminder of how federal employees can cast aside bureaucratic red tape and adapt their skills to save lives.

"From a personal standpoint -- I have 28 years of government service -- I've never done anything that I felt was so personally rewarding," said Fredric Madeira , who served as a project superintendent in Kuwait.

Most of the volunteers are in their mid-forties, and despite the busy pace, most of the injuries have been minor, such as bruised hands and pinched fingers. Coping with the heat -- the temperature has reached 112 degrees -- is a major challenge, but the Army has provided weather tips and instructions on how many bottles of water to drink each day.