Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan can easily be on their feet for more than 15 hours a day, in temperatures that reach over 120 degrees. Those kinds of conditions can lead to a host of foot problems for anyone, but for a soldier, it could mean the difference between life and death.

"Healthy feet are extremely important for a soldier. It's their main mode of transportation over there, and helps get them in the battle and out of trouble quickly," said Kathya Zinszer, chair of podiatric medicine and orthopedics at the School of Podiatric Medicine.

"Unfortunately, they're not getting the supplies they need." Zinszer learned of the need for foot care supplies while chatting on line with her sister Donna, a Kiowa helicopter pilot and National Guard captain, currently stationed in Iraq.

So Zinszer and a group of students reached out to several vendors for donations of foot care products, from blister packs to orthotics to powders, and recently put together the first batch of several care packages to send off to her sister’s National Guard company.

Zinszer credits Kendrick Whitney, associate professor of podiatric medicine and orthopedics and director of the school’s Pedorthics Laboratory, as being an instrumental part in contacting vendors and compiling donations.

“The flood gates have opened, and people have been so generous with their time and their donations,” said Zinszer. “And we’re happy to help our troops in any way we can.”