New Tools of War: Cigs, Tampons, Sticky Tape

Infantrymen are some of the world's best improvisers -- able to take the simplest things, and put 'em to wartime use. In Iraq, we've seen troops turn scrap metal into gun turrets, and jury-rig kids' toys into remote-controlled bomb-spotters. * Newsweek* takes a quick look in this issue at more trick from "MacGyver in Mesopotamia."

Cigarette butts are a perfect fit for gun barrels and can help keep out dirt, sand or water. And they shoot out easily when the weapon is fired. For non-smokers, there are other options: in Vietnam, soldiers rubber-banded condoms around the tops of their guns.

Makeshift medics: Tampons are great for plugging up bullet wounds, soldiers say, and nothing seals a punctured chest like Saran Wrap. Sealed lips: After cholera scares hit the region, some soldiers began using lip balm—or Vaseline—to coat their mouths when they showered, to keep out contaminated water.

Sticky situation: During her training at Fort Dix, N.J., Spc. Cynthia Brabant got in the habit of putting tape, sticky-side up, around her bed to catch poisonous insects. Now in Baghdad, she stretches socks over her boots at night to keep the scorpions out. "It's kind of silly," she says, "but it works."