Jun 21, 2006 2:24 pm US/Eastern
Cher Pushing For Military Helmets
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Cher, who opposes the war in Iraq but supports the troops, says using her celebrity to promote effective helmets for U.S. soldiers is rewarding — and "the right thing to do."
"To be able to use your celebrity for something that you really think is worthwhile is so rewarding," the 60-year-old singer-actress says in an interview that was to air Wednesday night on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" (10 p.m. EDT).
"It just makes you feel like this is the right thing to do. This is the American thing to do," she tells Cooper. Excerpts of the interview were released in advance.
Cher says it makes her angry "when people say that if you're not for the war, you don't support the troops. And I'm not for the war. And I really support the troops."
Last week, she attended a hearing in Washington on whether to modify helmets for soldiers in Iraq. The entertainer has donated more than $130,000 to the group Operation Helmet, which pays about $100 to modify the inside of soldiers' helmets to make them better able to absorb shock from a bomb blast.
Cher tells Cooper she "was astounded at the price that could save someone's life. ... Or, you know, that such a little price had to be used to — to save someone's life."
The Army now equips its soldiers with padded helmets designed to be shock absorbent. The Marine Corps has commissioned a study to determine whether to change its helmets but has said the ones Marines use now are effective.
Cher won a best-actress Oscar for her role in 1987's "Moonstruck." She is known for songs such as "Believe" and "If I Could Turn Back Time."
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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