Six Packs for Soldiers?

Posted by Angie Rayfield Jun 25, 2007

I recently ran across a website called "Six Packs For Soldiers." Put into motion by John Hlinko and Bill McIntyre, the site calls itself a "beer-partisan" campaign with the goal of thanking our troops - by promising to deliver a real beer to a real soldier.

The premise is simple enough. Until July 4, 2007, offer a virtual toast to our troops. For every virtual toast received, the site promises to deliver one real beer to one real soldier.

Alcoholic beverages are officially forbidden at the U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq out of respect for the area's religious prohibitions against them. Not surprisingly, though, stressed out servicemen and women still find ways to smuggle in a nip or two. One popular method is to have friends back home ship booze in bottles of mouthwash colored blue or yellow.

Another option is the locally distilled hajii juice, the local version of American moonshine. It's high proof and unfortunately the quality often leaves much to be desired. And in this case, it's not just a matter of not tasting very good - with no controls over what's in it or how it's made, the hajii juice can be downright dangerous.

Having worked in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, Hlinko has memories of his own of living in a dry country far from home. He began brainstorming with McIntyre, and soon, the Six Packs for Soldiers project was born.

While they agree it would be nice to have a "beer lift" overseas, the obstacles to such an endeavor would probably be insurmountable, so the current plan is to deliver the beer to returning soldiers. And the project isn't forgetting non-drinkers or those under 21 - they plan to include non-alcoholic beverages as an alternative for those soldiers.

It's easy to lend a hand. Just go to the Six Packs for Soldiers website, and upload a picture of yourself raising a toast with your favorite beverage - it doesn't matter whether it's beer, wine, a cocktail, or a glass of milk for that matter. For every photo uploaded to the site, the sponsors will provide a drink to a soldier. How easy is that?

If you're thinking there are probably more important ways to help a soldier, well, you could be right. But to quote the project, "It doesn't mean we can't take a break for a moment, and buy a beer for a hero." I think I can do that!