soldiers

Crown Royal Sending Special Camo Gift Bags to Troops Overseas

Crown Royal's iconic purple velour bags have become a symbol unto themselves, but they're getting a dose of the camouflage treatment this year to honor our troops stationed overseas. The initiative will see the Canadian rye whisky distillers sending as many as 10,000 gift packages to American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq (amongst other global positions).

The packages include such personal items such as a toothbrush, razor and sunscreen, snacks and phone cards, all packed inside specially-designed purple camo versions of the iconic pouches. We're guessing that military procedures precluded them from sending actual bottles of whisky, which would undoubtedly be more thoroughly enjoyed, but the public can take part in the campaign – spearheaded by football coach and brand spokesman Jimmy Johnson – by buying bottles of the rye whisky packaged in the special purple-camo bags from their local liquor stores across the United States.

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Tags: afghanistan, canadian whisky, crown royal, gift package, iraq, military, purple bag, rye whiskey, rye whisky, soldiers, support our troops, troops, whisky

Uptown Cigars Donates to the Troops

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Charity, Video

Philanthropy and the brotherhood of the leaf have converged upon Upton Cigar, in Kingston, New York. Many cigar companies and shops have donated sticks to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Cigars for Soldiers has done a considerable amount of heavy lifting in this regard, there are lots of local efforts that are making a profound difference in the lives of people who have made the sacrifices associated with serving their country.

At Uptown Cigar, what started small has grown quickly. According to Israel Markevitz, the store's manager, word of mouth has been the major driver. The occasional customer would buy a box to ship overseas (the shop pays for that part). Before long, Markevitz was sending more than five boxes a week, ensuring that virtually every soldier who makes a request has it as quickly as possible.

Needless to say, the practice caught on. Now, Uptown Cigar ships five boxes a week or more to military personnel serving in combat, if only to thank them for their service and make their lives a little easier. Learn a bit more about this practice from the video below.

Tags: cigar, cigar shop, cigars, CigarShop, philanthropy, soldiers

More Cigars for Troops ... Do Your Part!

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

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”

Payne-Mason, Cleveland Golf to Support Wounded Warrior Project

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Cigar company Payne-Mason, Cleveland Golf and the Wounded Warrior Project are working together to help service members who have been severely injured. Through a joint six-month program, proceeds from the sale of cigars at more than 1,000 golf courses across the country – in addition to prestigious tournaments and on some sports talk radio shows – will be used to support troops in need.

The promotion began this month and will run through Labor Day. Keep in mind, of course, that it's only the sale of Payne-Mason cigars that will contribute to the cause. Fortunately, additional donations will be made by participating golf facilities. So, if you need to deviate from your favorite brand to help a soldier, it's worth doing even if only once.

Tags: charity, cigar, cigars, donation, donations, soldiers

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