soldier

More Cigars for Troops ... Do Your Part!

Filed under: Cigars

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.

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Tags: army, cigar, cigars, colorado, denver, military, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, soldier, soldiers, us army, UsArmy

Thankful Troops Smoke 7,000 Cigars

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

While we are constantly reminded of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we often lose site of the people serving. Sure, we support the troops and lament the fact that some are separated from their families for a year or longer ... with unfortunate regularity. But, these concepts remain abstract from those who don't don the uniform every day. Many have a friend or family member serving, but the vast majority is another step removed from the sacrifice. Chuck Ley, founder of the organization Cigars for Soldiers, is bridging the gap. His effort has added a personal and genuine touch to a "support the troops" message that the mainstream media has forced into cliché too soon.

Ley, like me, was a soldier. While my service entailed comfy pencil-pushing positions in Uijongbu, South Korea and Fort Gordon, Georga, he was an infantryman – the real deal – wounded in action in Mogadishu, Somalia. It wasn't the event immortalized in Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, but few realize that we fought more than once over there. Though back in civilian life for more than a decade, Ley has not forgotten his time in uniform, and many of his friends continue to serve.

From time to time, Ley would get a phone call or e-mail from overseas, a friend in some far-flung place. The tone varied from casual inquiry to begging to near-demand: send cigars. How could a cigar-smoking former soldier refuse?

Gallery: Cigars for Soldiers

Soldiers smoke Pepin Garcia cigars in Iraq

Don Pepin Garcia addresses the crowd at De La Concha

The cigars donated to Cigars for Soldiers by Don Pepin Garcia

Tags: afghanistan, black hawk down, BlackHawkDown, charity, cigar, cigar accessories, cigar cutter, CigarAccessories, CigarCutter, cigars, donate, donation, donations, foundation, georgia, iraq, iraq war, IraqWar, lighter, lighters, marine, marines, mark bowden, MarkBowden, mogadishu, relax, soldier, soldiers, somali, somalia, south korea, SouthKorea, support the troops, SupportTheTroops

Continue reading “Thankful Troops Smoke 7,000 Cigars”

Cigar Shop Cop Looks out for Troops

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

cigars

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.)

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Tags: cigar, cigars, cigarshop, iraq, iraq war, IraqWar, military, national guard, NationalGuard, new jersey, NewJersey, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, soldier, soldiers, tobacco, troops

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

There's no better time than now, in the middle of a war, to help out our nation's veterans and show them how much we love, support, and most importantly respect the tremendous commitment and sacrifice they've made (and are making) for our country. There are countless charities that support the cause but one that helps unite them all together is the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. The NCHV acts as a resource for a national network of organizations and service providers that provide support, housing, job training, and placement assistance for hundreds thousands of homeless veterans every year.

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Tags: charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, homeless, soldier, soldiers, veteran, veterans, war

Books for Soldiers, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

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!

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Tags: book, books, books for soldiers, BooksForSoldiers, charity, iraq, military, soldier, soldiers, war

The War Bowl

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art

Hmm, I really don't know how I feel about this War Bowl. Designed by Mosley meets Wilcox. It's representative of something, but you'll have to decide what it means to you. Created by melting plastic soldiers together -- half French infantry and half British artillery from the Battle of Waterloo -- the end result is a sad but interesting looking dish that I doubt anyone would actually use to keep anything in. It kinda looks like an accident to me, like a pile of children's play soldiers ended up getting melted somehow and ruined. It also reminds me of the "Fall of the Damned" lampshade and might look interesting placed directly beneath it...

The War Bowl measures 4"x17.3" and is only available in blue for this particular soldier version, but the Mosley meets Wilcox website has other versions of War Bowls including red ninjas and black knights. $229

Via Design Mind

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Tags: art, blue, bowl, decor, dish, dishes, men, mosley, mosley meets wilcox, mosleymeetswilcox, plastic, soldier, soldiers, table top, TableTop, war, war bowl, WarBowl, wilcox