More Soldiers & Cusano Event Report

We just got an email from another one of our Cigars for Soldiers guys sent through Lisa at Soldiers Angels:

"Just wanted you to know I got the other box today with the
cookies and cigars. The cookies came through just fine. Thank you
and thank the gentleman that sent the cigars. Pictures will be coming
soon. We are having a cookout Saturday and that should pose a good time to
get all together smoking stogies."

John

MGYSGT JOHN SAKOWICZ
HMM-364 MAINT CHIEF
OIF DSN 3422-547

This is our second group. We'll post the pictures here and on our web site as soon as we get them.
To make a contribution, go to http://cigarista.com/cigarsforsoldiers.htm
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The Cusano event was great, thanks to J. T. from Cusano and our wonderful customers. We had about 25 people show up and had a great time. Everyone got a free cigar or two. If you bought two, you got another free one. If you bought a box of 18, you got four free ones, a very nice cap and four extra raffle tickets. The raffle prizes included a box of C18 Paired Maduros and four caps, each cap complete with a cigar sampler and either a punch or a cutter. Thanks, Cusano. We all enjoyed it.

Happy holidays to all, however you celebrate them. We are going to be closed on Sunday through Tuesday so I can visit my kids in Atlanta. Ho, ho, ho.

Mike
Head Cigarista

Cigars for Soldiers Update

Our inspiration for Cigars for Soldiers, Melissa, came in again yesterday. It was the first time she saw our collection box and jar for the program. She was whelmed. She had no idea we had done this or that she was the inspiration. She was in buying her Christmas cigars for the soldiers.

Can one person make a difference? As Margaret Mead said, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have. " Is this thing something huge for mankind? Not likely but it does make a difference in the lives of people who are risking their lives in their daily endeavors to fight for us, whether you agree with the reasons or not. Bless you, U.S. military, wherever you are. We'll keep sending the cigars.

Our first email back:

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Sir or Ma'am,
I just wanted to say thank you for starting Cigars for Soldiers.
I found out from someone that goes into your shop to buy cigars. She
passed it to me. I know that it may not be a big deal to some but there
are a lot of Service Members that truly enjoy cigars. It is a bonding
experience and it also brings a little piece of home.
Please tell everyone Thank you.
Semper Fi,
Colin Hardman
SSgt USMC
Al Asad, Iraq

Cigarista & Cusano Smoker on 12/20/2006

For our fourth and final event of the year, we're having a smoker with Cusano Cigars, based in Bradenton, another one of our neighbor cigar companies. It will be on a Wednesday evening, 12/20/2006, from 5 P.M. till 9 P.M. or thereabouts. We will raffle off prizes. Cusano will provide a free cigar for everyone to try as well as some of their items for the raffle. We will have a deal of buy two Cusano cigars and get a third Cusano cigar free. There will be food and beverages as always. Many cigars will be smoked and stories told. It's always better at the beach. Tell your friends.

Cigars for Soldiers - First Shipment

We just sent a large box of cigars out, heading for Iraq. Thanks to all of you who contributed, especially Camacho, Perdomo and Dave Bathy who contributed bundles and boxes of cigars. All the cash contributions were used to buy cigars at a discount to go to our guys. We're not done. We've started in on the next box. With any luck, we'll have some pictures back from Iraq and when we do, we'll post them here for all to see. We made some great contacts with another group called Soldiers' Angels. They send lots of things to Iraq for the soldiers. They found contacts for us and helped greatly with the first shipment, actually having it sent to them and forwarding it, with customs forms (I didn't know they needed that) to Iraq. Please check out their web site at: www.soldiersangels.org. A special thanks to Lisa N. at Soldiers' Angels, an angel herself.

Bucanero Event

Boy, am I way overdue for this entry. We had a great Bucanero event, our largest turnout yet. Johnny was out of town so Robert, the president of Bucanero, came out to join us. Lord, were some stories told and cigars smoked? And, oh yeah, the beverages...

This was our second event with Bucanero this year and this one had over three times as many people. Thanks so much to Robert and Johnny for helping us have some great events our first year. It's better at the beach.