Knitted Helmet Liners For American Soldiers

A Woman From Owatonna Diversified Her Knitting Projects To Help The Overseas Army

American soldiers fighting overseas need all the help they can get from those back home. This is what Joann Sencer from Owatonna thought as soon as she saw an ad posted in a local newspaper by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

The ad asked for knitted helmet liners to be sent to American armed forces involved in conflicts away from home.

Right away, Joann decided that it was a good time to diversify her knitting projects. While used to knitting for the homeless, she thought it was a good opportunity to try her hand at something else.

Helmet liners are full face hoods whose main role is to offer cushion and extra comfort to soldiers wearing helmets. They can keep the soldiers’ heads warm, but also cool in hot weather as they can be dampened to serve the purpose.

With American soldiers fighting all over the world, helmet liners are a way to increase their comfort and help them fight better.

For Joann, making helmet liners might have been a challenge at first, but not one she could not tackle. She only needs a little over 10 hours to put together a knitted helmet liner and she has already made 20.

She usually knits in front of the television, so for her, this is just a good investment in her time. The material she uses is 100% wool, since acrylic yarn is not a good option, as it can melt quickly.

A passionate knitter from an early age, Joann never thought her craft would be such an opportunity to help others in her senior years. She loves adding a bit of variety to her knitted helmet liners.

“Every once in a while, I knit up a black liner with speckles of dark colors in them. I think the women of our forces would enjoy them,” she admits with a smile.

With a brother who fought in the Vietnam War and her father being a World War II veteran, she hopes her work will help the young people fighting now keep warm away from home.

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