Avon Lady helps take the sting
out of Bosnia with free skin lotion
By Eric B. Pilgrim,
Stars and Stripes
E.B. Pilgrim / S&S
Billy Pratt, son of Avon representative Carmen Pratt, helps sort bottles of Avon Skin So
Soft. |
MANNHEIM, Germany — Carmen Pratt was reading the July 1 Stars and Stripes in her
Munich home when something jumped out and bit her.
It was a story about the pesky mosquito problem at Eagle Base in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. A landscaper-soldier advised others that Avon’s Skin So Soft was the
best way to thwart the bloodsuckers.
Pratt, who just happens to be Avon’s vice president of sales in Germany, thought
she could help the troops by donating several bottles of the lotion.
"I thought, ‘Well, I should help,’" Pratt said. "My
husband’s a soldier, and when I read that, it just kind of hit home."
Three weeks later, she landed on the Mannheim, Germany, doorstep of USO Rhein-Neckar
director Egon Hatfield with two boxes of the lauded liquid repellent and a promise of
1,000 more bottles for shipment to Bosnia.
"I didn’t know about it [the product] until all of this," said Hatfield,
who received a complimentary bottle from Pratt for his help. "But apparently the word
is out."
Pratt said 1,000 bottles would normally cost around $10,000, and although there are a
lot more than 1,000 troops in Bosnia, this batch could reach a few more than that.
"It’ll stretch to about 3,000 to 4,000 people, if they share," Pratt
said. "If they don’t share — well, that’s a different story."
Pratt said Avon also will agree to ship more for free, assuming the troops are
satisfied with the results. Or they could request other skin products depending on their
needs.
The shipping process must await a final signature from the commanding general of U.S.
Army Europe, Gen. Montgomery Meigs. Once cleared from his desk, and numbers and locations
of units are provided to Hatfield, the repellent will then head out to tormented troops on
Eagle Base.
Meanwhile, Pratt said she and Hatfield would continue planning on more shipments.
"It’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship," Pratt said.
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