Stogie News: Cigars for Troops

No matter what your opinion on the war in Iraq, one thing that shouldn’t be divisive is supporting our troops. And cigar smokers, retailers, and manufacturers have answered the call by sending cigars to soldiers fighting abroad so, at least for a little while, these brave men and women can enjoy one of life’s most versatile luxuries. Come to think of it, what other extravagance can be enjoyed just as easily in war-torn Falluja (pictured below) as on the local golf course or in a wood-paneled bar room?

This recent news story from Olympia, Washington is just one of many such examples:

With the flight to the Middle East imminent, Picasso Bros., a cigar shop in Lacey, gave about a dozen soldiers assigned to the company’s 2nd Platoon a proper send-off recently.

There were decorations and snacks inside, but the soldiers, some accompanied by their spouses, stayed outside to enjoy the warm evening, the light conversation, and a quality cigar or two.

“It’s really nice because we haven’t had a chance to relax in quite a while,” said Staff Sgt. Wayne Demetriff, 30.

“They’ve kind of accepted me as part of the Picasso Bros. family,” he said.

His love of cigars proved addictive. The number of soldiers who smoked cigars grew and some gave up cigarettes for them.

In addition to organizing the send-off, store manager Nicole Blocker secured $2,000 worth of cigars for the soldiers. Some were gift-wrapped and distributed at the send-off, and the remainder will be shipped to Iraq.

“She called each of the manufacturers, and they were more than happy to send a box or two to these guys,” said store owner Michael Karch, who also owns a store in Centralia.

Alexander bought a traveling humidor, which stores cigars at an optimum humidity, to protect them from Iraq’s brutal heat.

If you want to send some cigars to the troops, you can find information in any number of places.

Most cigar forums have a thread about stogies for the troops, many retailers would probably be interested in sending cigars if asked by a loyal customer, and some online stores like Cigarbid.com have a special section where you can buy products to send to the troops (with the proceeds often also going to support the troops). The site AnySoldier.com also lets you find a soldier deployed in harms way to send a care package to.

Also, if there is interest, we would more that willing to help organize and contribute to a shipment from StogieGuys.com readers.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars