Vet News: 'Bear Hug a U.S. Soldier' to Ship 300,000 Teddy Bears Overseas; Estero Couple Created Organization to Show Support for Those Serving

Next Memorial Day 300,000 red, white and blue teddy bears will be delivered into the arms of men and women serving or having served in the U.S. Armed Forces, thanks in part to the efforts of David Hamblett and his wife P.J.

Late last year, the Estero couple created "Bear Hug a U.S. Soldier" as a means to honor overseas military and soldiers recuperating in VA hospitals.

Seated on a tan couch in his Pelican Sound home, Hamblett said he and his wife, successful retirees of a mom-and-pop direct response company in Binghamton, N.Y., pondered a way to give of themselves and brainstormed "Bear Hug a U.S. Soldier."

"We felt that we have to give back," said Hamblett. "My wife and I are the most fortunate people. We’re 61 years old and we lack for nothing."

While petting Kobi, his white puppy, Hamblett shared he had always felt compassion for the U.S. military. Hamblett traces his sensitivity for soldiers back to the Vietnam War era when he was a teenager living in Newport, Vt. Hamblett related he did not enter Vietnam alongside his friends.

"I flunked the physical," he said.

The 18-year-old Hamblett recognized he was more fortunate than his friends overseas in more than one way.

"I had a couple of advantages," he reflected. "Number one, I wasn’t in harm’s way. Number two, I had a two-year jump on all my friends going into industry. I trained earlier and got to work earlier."

Hamblett also did not suffer the wrath of anti-war citizens as his best friend, a U.S. soldier, did.

"When my best friend came home, we went drinking as we all did at that age," he said. "My best friend was spit upon. It was a very divisive war. I always felt that my best friend didn’t want to go and he was being dishonored for it."

Nowadays, Hamblett said his thoughts dwell on the military stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There have been an awful lot of men and women in this conflict now and 100 percent of the people there are volunteers," he said. "The war is going on longer than most people anticipated and we wanted to make sure we still honor the soldiers — the people doing their job. They’re stopping bullets and not eating in the best of conditions. I figured how do we honor them? I think one of the best ways to do it is to just show your appreciation."

The couple have committed to the manufacture and delivery of 300,000 plush 5-inch bears.

"All in all it will be $350,000 for the bears," said Hamblett. "If we only sell 10 bears, my wife and I will owe $350,000. But we’re not worried about that. We’re worried about making sure that the soldiers know we care. It’s our way of saying we support you and we send you a hug."

The polyester bears come in navy blue with white stitched buttons and a bowtie. Stitched in red on each bear’s chest are the words, "We Support And Hug You."

"They’re red, white and blue for the flag, and everybody loves a teddy bear," said Hamblett.

The Hambletts are also raising $1 million for Operation Gratitude and Operation Care and Comfort, non-profits that specialize in the overseas delivery of care packages to armed forces.

According to Hamblett, Operation Gratitude will deliver 70,000 bears and Operation Care and Comfort will deliver 140,000 bears next May to armed forces throughout the desserts and cities of Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflict regions. Eighty-five thousand soldiers recuperating in VA hospitals across America will also receive bears on Memorial Day.

"Our first goal is that we want to honor the soldiers," said Hamblett. "Our second goal is to raise enough money for these non-profits so that they can have a year where they can ship products that U.S. citizens want to give without having to beg for money."

Each bear will be secured in a mesh bag with a red ribbon drawstring. In addition to the stuffed animal, soldiers will also receive a thank you note, a Veteran’s Advantage membership card and a five-minute calling card.

"If you call internationally and through the war-zone, a five-minute call can be very expensive and not everyone can afford it," said Hamblett. "Some of these soldiers, their families are on food stamps, so this is a way for them to talk to their mother or daughter."

Thus far, "Bear Hug a U.S. Soldier" has raised more than $5,000 and troops have already made requests for bears through the couple’s Web site.

"They’ve already been over 100,000 bears that the troops have asked for so they’re very excited," said Hamblett. "We think they will be very well received."

Hamblett conversed with military soldiers on the upcoming Memorial Day teddy bear dispersal and learned the U.S. Armed Forces plans to treasure the bears in various ways — giving bears to kids who live near the base, sending bears home to loved ones, or placing them in a memorabilia box as a reminder for the years they served their country.

Those interested in donating to "Bear Hug a U.S. Soldier" can visit the couple’s Web site.

"We’re grass roots," said Hamblett. "We’re only asking for a dollar. There isn’t anybody on the socio-economic level whose kids haven’t been put in harm from the richest family in the world to the poorest. It’s the people of the U.S., our way of saying we support you and we send you a hug."

SOURCE: Cape Coral Daily Breeze