Vets Group Says Climate Change a Security Threat

"FLORENCE, S.C. -- During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Robin Eckstein as was an active duty soldier assigned to the 123 Maintenance Support Battalion, part of the 1st Armored Division. Part of the mission of the 123rd was to provide transportation, fuel and water support to troops in position for the assault.

In the days leading up to the invasion, the 123rd moved convoys carrying fuel and water to outposts surrounding Baghdad. The seven-ton trucks were slow moving targets as they criss-crossed the desert with supplies for the forward operating bases. Each day, Eckstein said, she felt it was a roll of the dice as to what they would encounter in what she called a 'logistical nightmare.' Each day, she said, she realized more problems that come with reliance on foreign oil.

'I'd really like to let people know that our dependence on just one source of energy is not cost-worthy financially, but it's actually risking American lives. It's something we really need to move away from,' she said. 'If some of these forward-operating bases had solar generators or were a little more energy-efficient, that would mean less risk to American lives.'"

Carlton Purvis reports for the Florence, SC, Morning News April 28, 2010.