You know I have a soft spot for this issue ... I will do everything I can to put cigars between the fingers of soldiers who want them. So, when I saw this latest announcement, I was hooked.

"Cigars to the Troops" is hosting its First Annual Poker Run and Fundraiser. On Saturday, May 23, 2009, participants will stop at various locations in the Denver, Colorado area that celebrate those who have served: Fort Logan, American Legion, VFW and Armed Forces Tribute Garden (among others). The event will also include raffles, a sidewalk barbequeue and other entertainment ... including the Palma Posse Cigar Girls.

And, as you may have guessed, there will be some poker played. The best and worst hands will score a stay in Vail.

If you enter solo, the cost is $25, with couples paying $35. In addition to participating and eating, you'll get a t-shirt, cigar and raffle ticket. It's a small price to pay to have a bit of fun and support Cigars to the Troops.

Any soldier knows the importance of the small comforts that make a difficult situation easier. If you haven't served, just trust me on this one. Every cigar that winds up in the hand of a soldier who wants one will definitely appreciate it.

Shawn Carmody, of Phillipsburg, NJ, has made a habit of sending care packages to soldiers. Currently a police officer and owner of the Riverside Cigar Shoppe, he has been keeping New Jersey National Guard soldiers equipped with the accoutrements of tobacconic enjoyment. Thanks to Carmody, citizen-soldiers serving with C/102nd Cavalry have been receiving cigars, cutters and other related items from his store.

Carmody's friend, 1SG Tom Decker, is the top enlisted man in this unit (i.e. Charlie Company) and the benefactor's point of contact for the donations that ultimately wind up in the hands of many military personnel. This isn't Carmody's first care package ... that was a shipment of Tastykakes sent to Jimmy Polacari in Honduras in the late 1980s.

C/102nd Cav is expected to come home to Hackettstown, NJ in June, but Decker couldn't wait that long to express his thanks. So, he sent Carmody an American flag that had flown over Camp Syverson, Iraq – a substantial gesture that has no direct translation in the civilian world.

If you're inspired by Carmody's act of generosity, you can take action. Check out Cigars for Soldiers, an organization that has already sent more than 7,000 to U.S. military personnel overseas. (Many thanks to Don Pepin Garcia for his recent donation of five boxes.)

As The Classicist noted in a column on Officine Panerai, the watchmaker founded in Florence in 1860, the firm got its start by supplying timepieces (and other instrumentation) to the Royal Italian Navy or Marina Militare. However they also produced special commissions for the elite branches of other countries' armed forces. One highly collectible example of such is a model made for the Egyptian Navy in 1956, limited to only 50 examples. Panerai has now ressurected the watch, dubbed the Radiomir Egiziano (above), for a new limited run. Only 300 pieces will be available at about $30,000 each. The watch features features a large lightweight brushed titanium case, a hand-wound movement with an 8-day power reserve, and a bi-directional rotating bezel. It comes on a thick tan leather strap fitted with a titanium buckle.

The French Foreign Legion has gone into the wine making business. Fine wine isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the many skills mastered by the famous military force but that isn't holding the group back from taking this innovative approach to raising money for its aging veterans.

The wines are sourced from grapes grown in southern France and tended by retired legionnaires, so they not only provide profits for supporting the Legion and its veterans but also work to keep the men feeling busy and productive well into their retirement years.

Whether or not you support the reasons and politics behind why our troops are deployed, the troops themselves always deserve our support to make their service more pleasant and bearable. Books for Soldiers is a non-profit corporation that sends books to soldiers to help alleviate some of the boredom they face when isolated on bases in foreign countries and facing massive amounts of downtime. It's a great way to get rid of books you've already read (instead of taking them to a used book store) or why not buy the soldiers some books brand new? They certainly deserve it.

Thanks for the tip, Chad!

We've heard of cars that have been reinforced with bulletproof glass and siding from time to time, but our experience with defensive measures for cars is limited, so we were a bit surprised to learn about the Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle. After all, the vast majority of drivers have no need for a fully-armored, aquatic military vehicle - although if you're going to have one, you may as well make sure it's comfortable, too. This particular ex-Russian Military vehicle is loaded up with a huge sound system, GPS, TV and DVD player, in addition to what appears to be leather seating and carpeted floors. It also has some practical features such as sonar detection, a night vision system and a periscope.

You can see some more pictures of it after the jump.

[via Born Rich]