Team,
I hope that this note finds you all well. We’ve had a great week where we not only had the opportunity to reach out to the units that we’ve been supporting and get ready to begin supporting new units, but also to have been able to help make some single Marines lives a little more enjoyable at Camp Pendleton, so we’ve got a lot of good things to report!
With our sock delivery a little over two weeks away, we’ve been scrambling to determine what logistics are going to look like. Since the end of last year, our storage options have gotten a lot tighter than they used to be. With 20,000 pairs of socks coming in, we need to ready to hit the ground running.
A lot of the units that we’ve been supporting in the limited fashion available to us are in the process of re-deploying so we need to know when the mail windows are closing and opening. With postage rates running close to 50% over the cost of the socks, it hurts when they show up back on your doorstep!
We also get some great feedback on our efforts as well. We heard back from the Sergeant Major of one of the units who in addition to giving us the introduction to the Sergeant Major of the unit replacing him said:
“I am sure that the Marines and Sailors at their unit will enjoy receiving the socks as much as our did!”
We also heard from a Captain in Iraq who wrote:
“We definitely received the socks! Thank you so much! They flew out of my office so quickly I completely forgot to get some pictures. I won't make the same mistake twice. Our unit will have a presence here for the foreseeable future and I will be here to receive them. Thank you once again for your continued
support of our efforts. If you don't mind supporting the Coalition forces here, I think
doubling it would cover everyone for sure!”
We’re more than happy to help!!
There are few things that make Carla and I happier than to know that we’ve brought a smile to the faces of young Marines. It’s why we do what we do and continue to look for ways to help. Sometimes it takes a while to see the results of our efforts, but this week we got to see it immediately.
One of the great things about helping Marines, is that you get to meet other people who enjoy helping Marines as well. If you don’t know the feeling, if you’re reading this, you should! The best thing about what we do is building a Community of friends who are willing to step forward in a pinch to brighten a Lance Corporal’s day.
That day came this week when the Deployment Readiness Coordinator who is responsible for taking care of the Marines and their families asked if we could help them with an event for 150 single Marines who had just come back from the field. It was going to be a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker event and they wondered if we could help them with beer and cigars.
It was music to our ears.
It’s funny. Carla and I don’t drink, but if we ever decided to take it up, we’d have no shortage of suppliers. Over the past 5 years, we’ve been blessed by a number of breweries and beer distribution Companies who have helped us supply Marine events with their cold and tasty beverages. One of the Commanding Officers suggested that we could change our name to “Beer for Heroes”, but I told him that we’ll stick to socks. It was as simple as a phone call and we were able to secure the necessary kegs for the event from our friends at Left Coast Brewery here in San Clemente.
Another phone call to our friends at “Friends of Freedom” resulted in cigars for everyone.
While we weren’t at the event itself, the feedback that we got was heartwarming. The young Marines were able to have fun playing poker, having a couple of beers, and smoking a great cigar. Here is a link so that you can see the smiles on their faces.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=SocksforHeroes&set=a.3348680491883299
Looking at the pictures, they look like any other young men that you would see at a College Frat Party, or a neighborhood keg party. Dressed in t-shirts and shorts, flip-flops, and tennis shoes, you’d never know their profession.
Each of the men pictured is a warrior who had dedicated himself to the safety of our Nation and her people. While their peers pursue more self-centered interests, they have opted to serve. I say it often, but it bears repeating.
They are the finest our Nation has to offer. It was our honor to find them a couple of kegs and some cigars.
But we again turn our attention to what’s coming down the pipe. With the socks coming, we need to raise money to pay for them and ship them forward. If you live in the greater Southern California area, we hope that you will plan to join us on Saturday, November 14th for our latest “America Shoots For Her Troops” fundraiser “The Socks For Heroes Invitational”. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this event will be limited to 75 participants. Please go to http://socks4heroes.com/events to register today.
Otherwise, we hope that you will help us move our Mission forward by making a donation or help us spread the word by forwarding this e-mail to your friends who support the Military.
We’re grateful that you’re with us.
Thanks for joining us in our position in this fight!
Jim Hogan
In memory of our son, LCPL Donald Hogan
Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
KIA 8/26/2009 Nawa, Afghanistan
We honor his memory by caring for Americans wherever they serve in harm’s way.