We have a sneaking suspicion that the only thing closer to a classic trucker's heart, aside from their family and their pickup of course, is the good ol' USA. We here at CLASSIC TRUCKS are hoping we can take advantage of this by offering you all a chance to say thanks by getting involved in one of our favorite organizations-HeroBox.org.
At this very moment the brave men and women of our armed forces are standing guard all over the world so that we may enjoy the freedoms and liberties of this great country. HeroBox is a non-profit organization that provides custom support to our soldiers overseas. Their mission is to provide items that deployed American soldiers need and want while they are away from home defending our freedom. HeroBox engages America's greatest resource, its people, to support our Heroes through a variety of programs and initiatives. Whether you want to adopt a Soldier, Host a Hero Day or make a donation, or follow along or lend a hand with their HeroBox '59 Ford F-100 project HeroBox offers numerous opportunities for all of us to get involved.
A HeroBox is a care package that has been customized to a soldier's specific request. The troops have certain needs and wants depending on their sex, location, and a variety of other factors. The typical care package that a soldier receives isn't always influenced by those needs and wants so HeroBox's goal is to make sure that each HeroBox is directly influenced by the soldier. HeroBox started as a family's simple effort of supporting their Hero, Specialist Evan Housley, a son, brother and husband deployed to Iraq in late 2007. As they began to send him care packages, they immediately realized the need for a more customized solutions that met particular soldier's specific needs and wants. It was with this in mind that founder Ryan Housley launched a simple web page (HeroBox 1.0) in May 2008 to field special requests from his brother and other soldiers. As word spread, the demand soon outweighed the supply and the little web page soon became a non-profit organization. In October 2008, Ryan left his corporate career to pursue HeroBox full time so he and others could continue to provide items that deployed American soldiers need and want while they are away from home defending our freedom. HeroBox engages America's greatest resource, you the people, to support our Heroes through a variety of programs and initiatives. Whether you want to adopt a Soldier, Host a Hero Day, or make a donation, HeroBox offer numerous opportunities for all of us to get involved.
So please do us a favor and take a few moments to check out HeroBox at www.herobox.org and consider getting involved-and don't forget to check out their progress on the HeroBox '59 F-100, it's a cool classic pickup being built for a cause that's near and dear to our hearts. Thanks a bunch, RIZ
Check out some letters of thanks from some of our soldiers below-you'll see just what a difference it makes in a soldiers day to know that the folks at home really do care!
Hero Feedback"Ryan, I just finished what I called Christmas Drop. I would not have been able to do it without the hero boxes from you and the USO. I was able to pull my battalion and deliver over 2000 packages to peoples living area. I had a candle light service and then had everyone meet me in the back room where I had pre-staged all the boxes. It took us 2 hours to deliver all the gifts and bags, but I know when Soldiers wake up and go outside their room they will like to know people from home cared enough to wrap a gift for them. Each CHU in my area received gifts. They went to Army, Navy, Air force and some of our civilian counter parts. Thanks for allowing us to bring a smile to Soldiers. Keep up the good work. God Bless."
CH (1LT) Jeremy Pickens
"Thank you so much for your support. It came just in time for Christmas. I have to inform you that none of my guys could wait to dig in! Some of my guys are first time deployer's and it's really special that you took out time to show your support. It makes our job here just a little bit easier when we get mail from back home. I felt compelled to response and thank you for everything that you do. Just know you have changed sad faces to happy faces. I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you have Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas. Thanks from the Fire Direction Section of HHB 1-10FA and God Bless."
SSG William Godwin
"Thank you for your generous boxes. Thank you for all that you have done on our behalf and for all of the support that warms our hearts. We really appreciate the thoughtful cards and notes and wish you all a very merry Christmas and Holiday Season. I have the honor to serve with the Kurdish People of Northern Iraq. They are a wonderful and hospitable people. They treat us as liberating heroes. They were under heavy suppression under Saddam. They are a smart and promising people. That is not much of a write up, but I can't say enough about the security and care that we have received from these people. They are true friends to America and have included us into their family."
CPT E. Dan Patterson
"I signed up for HeroBox a few months back and we got so busy over here I forgot about signing up. I noticed my name on the mail list today so I went down and checked and I had two boxes from HeroBox. Thank you very much. One box was full of Starbucks instant coffee. I walked around with the box and I felt like Santa as I asked "do you drink coffee" and if they responded with yes, I tossed them a box of the Starbucks instant coffee. Everyone was so excited, especially after being with Starbucks for about 6 months now. If you ever had coffee at a military chow hall, you would understand why they were so excited. The other box had personal hygiene items and some other items that I shared with everyone in my section. I also had some cards in the boxes and there was a note about where the cards came from, so I will be sure to write them and thank them. I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of us over here. Sometimes it is the stuff that people stick in the boxes that we would never have thought to ask our family for, that make this place feel a little more like home. You made a lot of Soldiers happy today with those two boxes. Keep up the good work and when we redeploy I will surely be signing up through HeroBox."
SFC Kohles, Ryan