We do make a difference Please read on….

If you do not know, at the world’s best stadium Tropicana Field Home of the Tampa Bay Rays there is a cigar bar. Two or three times a year some buddies and I just go and sit in the cigar bar and smoke and watch the game on the big screen in leather chairs and have some drinks and play pool.

Well on this particular night, I happened to catch parts of a conversation of two older men(60’s). And during the night I heard one of the men talk about his son being in Iraq. Then he was talking about his son being in Afghanistan.

Remember, I’m not trying to eavesdrop I’m smoking hanging with my buddies. Then he really catches my attention. He starts talking about smoking with his son and that there is a few groups on some cigar website that sends troops cigars. And that is one of the only luxuries his son gets to enjoy. And now that he knows about the cigar bar he can’t wait to bring his son there one day and smoke.
And at that they got up to leave. I stood up told the man I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Thank You for your sons service. You sound proud of him and you should be. The man’s chest puffed out a little more and he shook my hand.

I was not military, nor am I from a military family. I have had many students and players go into the military. I have even lost one in Iraq. When this man was talking about his son, I was getting the same choked up feeling I get during the National Anthem.

So to you Military Servicemen and Retired Servicemen – Thank You!!!

And to everyone that sends what they can to help the troops. There is proof they appreciate the little things over there.
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After reading this have that choked up feeling. This is a wonderful post.

Thank you for service!:-)
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Hear hear. Very great post.:-)
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Spine tingles and lump in throat... dang.
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Nice post Mark.. Thanks for sharing.
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The boys most definitely appreciate anything we can send. Just stuff like toothbrushes are a luxury. Wet naps and snacks. It's really hard to imagine that the tiny things we take for granted, walk by, or even throw away make such a huge impact there.
If anyone ever wants to send anything at all and thinks it may be too small or insignificant gesture to bother, it's not. It's going to make someone very happy. :-)
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Very cool story! It is stories like this one that while tugging on our emotions bring the real-world of our service men and women closer to something we can all relate to.

Thanks for sharing!
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Great story.
Goose bumps indeed.
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Great post Mike!! Thanks for sharing. :-) :-)
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That's an awesome story! Thank your for sharing it.
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Great Post Mike!

A Big THANK YOU to all our troops, wherever you may be, active, retired,...
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I had a similar thing happen as I arrived at the Bonduel Corn Roast a year ago. Coming in, I ran into a member from another Lutheran Church whom I met when his pastor and I switched pulpits a few years back, and who I have gone ice fishing with since then. I asked about his son whom I knew was in the army and "had" been deployed - wondering if he still was. He said, "He's home right now, in fact, he's wandering around the fair, just went off to the beer stand to get us a couple beers. At this, the son was just coming back - with a cigar in his mouth.

Of course, we had to talk about bit about cigars. He said he had had a couple Swishers after H.S. during training and such, but hadn't had a good cigar till he was in Afghanistan. It was there that the sarge gave him cigars upon occasion, saying they were shipped from the states, from an internet group (the son couldn't remember the name of the group, even with my promptings).

The cigar in his mouth was a Swisher, so I asked him how come. He said, "There's no place in the area that sells good cigars." (this is indeed true, you have to go to Appleton or Green Bay, and if you don't know the shops, they can be hard to find)

So I asked him if I could see his cigar. I stuck it in my mouth and pulled my 3-finger case out of my back pocket, pulled out an AF Double Chateau SG, took off the cello, cedar, snipped it, and handed it to him saying, "Thanks for your service. I'll trade you this for the one in my mouth?" He asked, "Are you sure?" I just held the cigar out to him. He took it and said, "Thanks." As he was lighting it, I spit out that Swisher onto the ground, pulled out the AF's twin, and lit it up. We stood near the ball diamond fence, watching the Legion team play.

He did say that one of the few pleasures they have is to occasionally sit with cigars, and they do appreciate it. I have had a couple other incidents like this where I have met military personnel who have gotten cigars 'over there' which came from this and/or other cigar boards.

Yes, thanks for starting the thread Mike.

Thanks to all those who have served and are serving still.
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Thanks for sharing a great story. You gotta love our troops and their families.
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Kudos to you for saying something! No matter how you feel about the war those guys are over there working hard.
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This.

I never dreamed of going to the military, it was never my thing, but I support them full and all my friends who have gone. I personally have a friend that was in Afgani-land and member from this site gave him an amazing Thanksgiving last year. I still get choked thinking of the generosity of the members of the cigar community
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