JULY 6, 2021 – Let’s face it, sand storms are terrible. On Camp Buehring, Kuwait, there is little in the way of shelter or terrain features to protect from the elements when you’re traveling on foot during a sandstorm.
The nuisance of getting sand everywhere and poor visibility would be bad enough, but on top of it, there is the concern of breathing it in, or worse, getting it in your eyes potentially causing damage.
Fortunately, people have lived in this region for centuries and have adapted a few simple methods to manage in the unforgiving environment.
A method that many locals wear, which is now rubbing off on the Soldiers of the 111th Theater Engineer Brigade (TEB), is the wearing of goggles and a shemagh.
Most Soldiers that have served in the Central Command Area of Operations have seen the cloth head wrap that is traditionally worn in arid environments such as the desert. Known as a shemagh, this versatile tool is more than just an article of clothing worn for fashion; it can serve as personal protective equipment (PPE.)
When asked about his main safety concerns regarding sandstorms in Kuwait, the 111th Theater Engineer Brigade’s Safety Officer Lt. Col. Harold Nicely, had one major thought in mind.
“The first concern I have is do our personnel have the PPE on the job site and are they using it,” said Nicely. “Soldiers should always wear goggles, and some sort of face mask that covers the nose, mouth, and ears.”
When properly worn and paired with a set of goggles, the shemagh reduces the risk of a medical incident, and instead turns a sandstorm into simply a minor inconvenience.
The 111th TEB Brigade Surgeon, Col. Todd Fredricks, echoed Nicely’s concerns about sandstorms.
“In week one, we treated ten Soldiers for eye injuries. Generally, these are minor and heal quickly but they can be serious. Soldiers must remember that regular eye pro is not enough protection during a sandstorm,” said Fredricks. “You need to wear goggles that seal to your face because out of 10 soldiers injured, eight were wearing normal eye pro or sunglasses and the dust and sand blew under their traditional glasses or sunglasses.”
Fredricks further expressed his concerns with inhalation of dust and sand by stating, “generally, our noses and lungs can deal with some of this by filtering air and moving fine particles up and out of our lungs where we swallow the particles harmlessly. But in severe sandstorms the amount of particulates can overwhelm our noses and lungs. In this case you need to wear a mask of some kind to help filter debris and particulates. Any densely woven cloth mask is useful. You will see the Arab camel herders using their shemagh for this purpose. They live here and know how it works.”
After speaking with Nicely and Fredricks, it becomes clear that wearing goggles and some sort of mask is the most practical solution to mitigate risks associated with sandstorms.
Although the shemagh has countless uses, it is more commonly used by Soldiers for this purpose. While it is not uncommon to see shemagh worn by Soldiers, it is important to follow guidance and regulations in place when it comes to the wear of the Army uniform, particularly when adding a non-issued clothing item.
It is perhaps equally as important to consider the history and cultural significance behind shemaghs.
Shemagh’s, particularly certain colors and patterns, have been used in various regions as symbols relating to socio-political strife for nearly a century. When selecting a shemagh, it is best to research any color and pattern you’re interested in to avoid accidental perceived support or affiliation with political movement. At the very least, it is good practice to avoid the appearance of cultural appropriation.
Soldiers on Camp Buehring can purchase some plain olive drab pattern shemaghs in the Post Exchange, but if they want something with more color, there are vendors around base with more options.
There are multiple vendors that sell items akin to a gift shop you would encounter when traveling. When speaking with the vendors, they explained that they were unable to open their shops for 10 days recently due to the sandstorms.
The vendor mentioned that many of his finer shemaghs mainly come from India and are made from cashmere, with some of his more budget friendly shemaghs coming from China and being made from cotton.
Although the difference in quality is noticeable, any of them would function just fine for the purpose of staying safe during a sandstorm.
The impact of sandstorms ranges from a moderate inconvenience on individual Soldiers to handicapping mission capabilities on a broader scale.
“The sandstorms limited our Military Air Flights and supported troop movements to project sites in other counties,” said 111th TEB Commander, Col. Robert Kincaid. “It also slowed project completion down to a crawl due to visibility and being able to have troops on the ground during the storms.”
Kincaid concluded by saying “We were just really slow and deliberate about what we were doing. As Engineers we figure out how to work around anything and sandstorms are just another mission condition we solved.”
Story by 1st Lt. James Mason
111th Engineer Brigade