Pipes for Soldiers

[jjmitchem]

That is Awesome - thanks
Converted three more today!!!

 

[pylorns]

Shot you a DM, we're about ready to send out - for next week!

 

[briarbuck]

Boom. Nice work fellas.

 

[mso489]

Guys, this is easy as rolling off a log, as the old saying goes. Get Chaplain Jim's APO address by PM'ing him and bundle up a package of what you have to offer. You will be asked to fill out a customs form at the P.O., but this is five minutes. I didn't exactly have a shipment to sink a ship, but I had fun putting it together. I sent five pipes, three briar and two cob. All the pipes were sent in socks, if not the ones they came in, and I put a little rolled strip of paper with info about the pipe that I put in the bowls. Then I bundled up five or six baggies of different blends with a piece of paper identifying those. I didn't have any pipes I didn't like, but I did identify a few that were not getting smoked as regularly as most, seemingly because they were too similar to others, and I sent those along. Now I'm getting much more satisfaction thinking that those pipes are at the front of the rotations of some very brave guys operating at or out of Bagram Airfield. Thinking back to my tours in the DMZ, off the Cue Viet River, I remember one of my aunts sent me a box of books. It meant a lot to be remembered beyond the immediate family. A book or two that didn't appeal to me, I promptly put in the ship's "library," a closet off the mess decks crammed with books. Send along some pipes and leaf; it will brighten your day.

 

[mso489]

...and if you don't have time for embellishments and amenities, just bundle up a box with newspaper for packing and send it along. Everything will get there fine and dandy.

 

[jjmitchem]

You all are great
I have a few pictures I need to share with you all, just don't have access to Imgur from my gov network here.
we are trying to meet regularly out here at Bagram, when I am not traveling. My staff really needs the stress break and the cigar/pipe nights on the roof of our hanger is the ticket. I have also been bringing cigars and pipes with me on my battlefield circulation and now I am getting requests before I head to a location.
Yesterday my boss asked me to expand my cigar night ministry and invite the division staff as well.
Thank you all so much - in my opinion this is what makes these deployments bearable

 

[mso489]

Chap Jim, thank you so much for taking the time and extra effort to do this. It's a real service to Forums members for sure.

 

[jjmitchem]

UPDATE****
We are on the downslope, less than 80 days left before we get home. The Pipes, tobacco and cigars have been a real blessing to all my Soldiers. I am working on getting some pictures together and uploading them here, I just cant do it from my work computer and by the time I get to my CHU I am ready for bed.
Ive talked to my replacement and he is going to take over what I have left and continue the ministry with his Soldiers - Mostly cigars, a few pipes and tobacco left - they were a bigger hit than the cigars!!
Thank you all for the support!! My unit's mission has been a success - counter rocket, artillery and mortars - and we continue to defend all the FOBS that we are at. (Ill post some pics of that as well)

 

[pylorns]

Keep me up to date with your replacements info, we've got some cool things going on here in Texas with the other pipe clubs.

 

[jjmitchem]

Trying to keep track of the packages Ive received so far. I have names but I don't always know which screen name goes with that person so....
Who is Thomas Noonan and Dan Torens
Thanks

 

[morgansteele]

Who is Dan Torens? He is supposed to be Turkish. Some say his father was German. Nobody believed he was real. Nobody ever saw him or knew anybody that ever worked directly for him, but to hear Kobayashi tell it, anybody could have worked for Torens. You never knew. That was his power.

 

[jjmitchem]

Some Pics as promised

 

[jvnshr]

Fixed the links, pictures are bigger now. Great photos, by the way.

 

[jvnshr]

Fixed the links, pictures are bigger now. Great photos, by the way.

 

[jjmitchem]

Thanks - what did I do wrong?

 

[jvnshr]

Thanks - what did I do wrong?

You are welcome, sir. You right-clicked on thumbnails of the pictures instead of the pictures themselves I guess.

 

[mso489]

That's one of the few photographs I've seen of a woman smoking a pipe that looks like she's enjoying the pipe and not just posing.

 

[haparnold]

Ah, the good ol' 101st. I grew up near Ft. Campbell and went to college in the next town over. Good group of soldiers.

 

[texasfiremedic]

This thread is awesome. Thank you for what you are doing over seas we appreciate it!

 

[jjmitchem]

Thanks everyone - flying tomorrow to the FOB in the first pic - with the female smoker, she is the only female that has taken one on this deployment. One of the recent donations we received has a purple flowery Vector pipe that I set aside for her. Ill get more pics in the next couple of days
Its finally cooling off a little during the day so Ill more opportunities to smoke with my Soldiers and get some better pics before we re-deploy