THE BALLOON TROOPER UNIT HEADQUARTERS COMMAND !

Here you will learn all about who and what Balloon Troopers are and also how to make and use your very own Balloon Troopers!

BALLOON TROOPER HISTORY:

Balloon Troopers were invented by James and Reese Elliott. Reese was a very happy boy who loved balloons. Reese spent a lot of time in his wheelchair, so Balloon Troopers were started as a very fun activity that Reese could enjoy together with his Dad, James. We hope you will enjoy them too! Kids of all ages are encouraged to work together to have fun with Balloon Troopers!

WHO/WHAT ARE BALLOON TROOPERS?

Balloon Troopers are an elite unit of Army Men who specialize in long range High Altitude Aerial Missions (simply called "HAM Missions” in Balloon Trooper lingo.) The basic task of the Balloon Trooper is to fly as high and as far as he possibly can by Helium Balloon during his HAM Mission. HAM Missions are extremely High Risk and many Balloon Troopers are listed as Missing In Action for very long periods of time, so it is only the best and bravest Army Men soldiers who volunteer for the elite Balloon Trooper Unit.

WHERE DO BALLOON TROOPERS COME FROM?

Balloon Troopers start out as regular plastic Army Men which can be bought in any toy store, department store, grocery store, drug store, etc.. Once these Army Men are located and brought to your home, they can volunteer for the Balloon Troopers Unit with your help.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR OWN BALLOON TROOPER MISSIONS:

You can follow these simple steps to prepare BALLOON TROOPERS for action:

1) MISSION SUPPLIES:

Gather the specialized Mission Supplies that Balloon Troopers require (mostly inexpensive/household items): Army Men, String, Scotch Tape, Paper, Pen, Latex Balloons, Disposable Helium Balloon Kit. ** Small Disposable Helium Balloon Kits can be found at local Party Supply Stores, or bulk shopping places like Costco or Smart & Final, etc. Local Grocery stores that have Flower Departments and also local Flower Shops will also fill some balloons for you if you ask them nicely.

2) MISSION PAPER:

All Balloon Troopers carry a small note called a Mission Paper. This note gives very important Recovery Procedures to anyone who Recovers the Balloon Trooper. The Mission Paper should offer at least the following information in typed/printed or carefully hand-written form:

A) BALLOON TROOPER'S NAME/RANK/SERIAL NUMBER - such as "Captain James Reese, Serial Number 123."

B) LAUNCH TEAM INFORMATION: Write your Name, Date, General Location such as "Launched by Reese Elliott, from Pasadena California on April 15, 2002." This way your Balloon Trooper's Mission Mileage can be fully appreciated when he is eventually Recovered.

C) RECOVERY EMAIL ADDRESS: You will ask anyone who Recovers your Balloon Trooper to Please Send An Email about the Recovery. This is the only way you can be notified if your Balloon Trooper is found. You can either write down your own email address OR you can write down the Balloon Trooper Headquarters Command Email address: (BalloonTrooperHQ@att.net) You can also write down the Balloon Troopers Web Site address:(BALLOONTROOPERS.COM)

All Known Balloon Trooper Recoveries will be posted on the web site immediately so check the web site once in a while to see if anyone has Recovered your Trooper.

D) MISSION CONTINUANCE REQUEST: If you choose, you can include a short request asking whoever Recovers your Trooper to Please add their name/date/location to his Mission Paper, and to Please send him off with a new helium balloon to continue his Mission.

Once your Mission Paper is written, SECURE MISSION PAPER TO THE BALLOON TROOPER. Roll up the Mission Paper and tape it securely to the Balloon Trooper. See link below for sample Mission Papers which you can copy directly or use as a guide for your own.

3) SECURE BALLOON TROOPER TO SHROUD LINE:

The Shroud Line is a piece of natural fiber thread which connects the Balloon Trooper to his Balloon. The best Shroud Line material is light weight cotton sewing thread because it is the most biodegradable (never use plastic ribbon or nylon thread.) Use the shortest amount of thread possible - no need for long Shroud Lines. Tie the Shroud Line to the Balloon Trooper using a couple of good tight knots. **You may want to dab a tiny bit of glue on your Shroud Line knots to make sure they don't untie during your Trooper's dangerous High Altitude Aerial Mission.

4) INFLATE BALLOON WITH HELIUM:

Fill your Balloon with Helium, making sure to use only latex balloons. Most typical "rubber" balloons are made of latex which is a natural tree product that is biodegradable. **Never use "Mylar" balloons for Balloon Trooper Missions because they are not biodegradable and are not good for the environment.

5) SECURE BALLOON TO SHROUD LINE:

Tie your Balloon Trooper's Shroud Line to the balloon knot. You might want to dab some glue on the Shroud Line knot too. Now you should have a fully equipped Balloon Trooper, tied to his Balloon by Shroud Line, with his Mission Paper secured, ready and Cleared For Launch!

6) LAUNCH TIME!

You may want to get a camera and take pictures of this Exciting Event (feel free to email your Launch Photos to the Balloon Trooper Headquarters Command for our web site if you like!) Take your Balloon Troopers outside and let them go! Watch them fly high in the sky until they are out of sight.

7) RECOVERY BY GROUND ALLIES!

If and when people find and help your brave Balloon Trooper along on his Mission, these people are called GROUND ALLIES. The word "ALLIES" means "PEOPLE WHO ARE UNITED TOGETHER FOR A COMMON CAUSE."

Ground Allies are vital to the success of Balloon Trooper Missions! When Ground Allies find your Balloon Trooper, their names and locations can be written up and attached to his Mission Paper so anyone who Recovers him next can see how far and how long his Mission has been. Hopefully they will all send an email to the Balloon Troopers Homepage (BalloonTrooperHQ@att.net) or make an entry in the Balloon Troopers Guestbook to let you and everyone know where and when they found your Balloon Trooper and that they helped him continue his Mission.

8) MISSION SITREP:

When someone sends an Email to you or to the Balloon Troopers Headquarters Command to report a Balloon Trooper Recovery or a Balloon Trooper Launch, it is called a SITREP (short for Mission Situation Report). Getting a SITREP about your Balloon Trooper from far away is very fun and exciting! A Balloon Trooper can go a very, very long way on a HAM Mission with the help of your securely tied balloon, the wind, the sky and some good Ground Allies!

Have fun with Balloon Troopers! Thanks for helping a Balloon Trooper continue his Mission, and/or Good Luck to your own Balloon Troopers!

Please add a SITREP to the Balloon Trooper Headquarters Command Guest Book. When the net is very busy, the Guest Book is sometimes unavailable. If/when this is the case, please send an email instead about your Balloon Trooper experience and/or try the Guest Book during less busy Internet usage times.

Blue Skies and Happy Landings to All!

• GO TO THE BALLOON TROOPERS SITREP (Situation Report) PAGE! Here you can check on the Mission Status of your Balloon Troopers to see if anyone has located them yet and sent in a SITREP (Situation Report.) If nobody has sent in a SITREP about your Troopers yet, they will be listed as currently Missing In Action.
• View and/or copy some sample Mission Paper styles!
• Learn why Balloon Troopers are not bad for the environment. Yes, most toy balloons really are BIODEGRADABLE latex!
• Learn how high helium filled toy balloons fly and what happens to them once they float into the sky!
• See what some Helium Supplies look like (a store bought helium balloon kit)
• VISIT SOME GREAT NEW BALLOON TROOPER SITES! (We Are Proud To Have Inspired Others To Create BT Sites And We Always Encourage More!)
• To learn how to make and use a fun and free Parachute Toy, visit the PENNYWEIGHT PARATROOPER DROPZONE!

Accesses: