Support the Troops

An appeal for kits

by Steve Bamford

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This project is over and was a total success.......many thanks to all who donated!!!
I have been contacted by Gary Porter with a project that needs the full support of the members of ARC.  A special ARC Kits for Kandahar Forum has been created.
Currently in Afghanistan there is a multi-national coalition working with the Afghan army to provide security to the people of Afghanistan and to help to provide basic humanitarian assistance in creating schools and other fundamentals of any society.  The troops serving on this mission are Canadians, Americans, British, Aussie, Dutch, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ukrainians and also include members from other European nations.  These troops are committed to the mission and it is up to each one of us to support them. 
Photo from www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca

 

These troops go out daily on very dangerous missions and some have paid for this with their life.  They are far from hope and family and living in conditions most of use would find less than comfortable.  The gallant men and women do have down time to rest when they are not out on patrol or meeting with the local villagers to provide humanitarian support.  During their downtime back at base they need activities to keep themselves busy and scale modeling is high on the list of activities.

They need all modeling supplies such as kits, glue, paint, brushes, sandpaper (400 & 600 grit?), filler and anything else you can think of.  When you do send supplies....please try to include a note with your kit or package to the individual troop.......this is very much a one on one gift.  It is you connecting with one trooper serving in Afghanistan.  The Canadian Armed Forces has kindly offered to supply the cargo plane to fly in the modeling supplies for this multi-national force but it's now up to you to dig through your kit stash and thin out some kits and any supplies.  I'm sure they don't just want aircraft kits......armor and cars and any other types of models would be very welcome.

So far this appeal has received 238 kits and supplies....the goal is 500 kits and supplies.  It is a huge goal but I have no doubt we can pull together and meet this goal by the July shipping date.  Don't put this off.....pack up the kits and supplies in the next few days and get it shipped off to 

Kits for Kandahar
138 Cobequid Road
Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia
Canada
B4C 2N3

Please....if mailing from outside Canada....indicate a value of $15 or less to limit the import taxes.

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Note from Gary Porter 

I don't know if this is useful information or not, but we sent letters to the big three wholesalers and two have already responded with boxes of stuff. Don't have any idea what they sent, but we're pretty pumped here.  Mikerian and Borgfelt have donated thus far. Our contact at Hobbycraft was very sick and is a week behind the other two, but they committed to this project early on so we are kinda' expecting great things there.

Hoping to generate some interest from the smaller manufactures too. We are in
desperate need of decals. Almost a quarter of our kits have unusable decals,
which is why a lot were donated. I know I've used up all my stash and a guy
here Marco gave us 20 sets of US Navy Airforce and Army decals sets, ancient
microscale stuff but we're still shy on that stuff. We don't think folks will
mind putting stars and Bars on Migs so long as they have something.

Cheers and all the bestest. 

Gary Porter

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Page 2 of the Halifax Daily news May 5 2006

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Kits For Kandahar newspaper Article from The Chronicle Herald

A model morale booster Donors drop off kits that will be sent to troops in Afghanistan By PAUL EVEREST 

Doug Murray dropped off tanks, jeeps and guns at Maritime Hobbies and Crafts in Halifax on Saturday to be sent to soldiers in Afghanistan. They may be smaller than what the troops are used to in the field, but the people sending them are sure they will still help.  Mr. Murray was one of many who contributed to a new campaign called Kits for Kandahar, a program set up to give model kits to troops. A retired naval crewman and member of the Halifax Military Modeling Group, he said this kind of support will be well-received.  "I know what it's like over there, stuck in camp," he said.  One of Mr. Murray's fellowclub members, Gary Porter, came up with the idea three months ago after hearing about similar efforts from clubs in the U.S. for soldiers serving in Iraq.  Within minutes of suggesting the campaign online, he received commitments from people all over the world.  "It's taken on a life of its own, "Mr. Porter said Saturday as he looked over a pile of donated models at the hobby store. At fIrst, the plan was to collect 300 models to be shipped to Afghanistan in August. But when the Canadian military approved the idea, it wanted the campaign to include soldiers from other countries, and the goal in-creased to 500. But Mr. Porter said that won't be a problem. With drop boxes in place Saturday at Maritime Hobbies and Crafts, Nautilus Aquatics and Hobbies on Quinpool Road and the Shearwater Museum, the campaign has al-ready netted about 140 kits. And donators have been generous.  "It's spooky," said Mr. Porter. "People, at first hint of this, were dropping off $200, $300worth of kits. "People wishing to drop off a kit are asked to sign their names on the unwrapped packages.  If they don't have model kits, Mr.Porter said there are plenty of alternatives to help the campaign.  "We need bottles of paint, tubes of glue - modelling knives too," he said.  He also asked that people not send aero-sol cans. .Maj. Jay Janzen, spokesman for Joint Task Force Atlantic, said the campaign will be a definite morale booster for the troops, especially since many of those serving are model builders themselves. "We felt it was a great idea, "he said, adding he spent time in Afghanistan himself in 2003 and2004. "It helps take your mind off things, off missing home, off the stress of the environment. "Maj. Janzen said military decision-makers in Ottawa were behind this proposal, but he stressed that anyone wishing to send something to the troops should contact the military first. Mr. Porter said he hoped the models will mean something to the soldiers who receive them and will show, in a non-political way, the support Canadians have for those in uniform. "It'd be kinda cool if some-body was reminiscing to highschool kids about the war in Afghanistan one day, and said,  'There was this really cool day when these models showed up,'''But he emphasized those behind the campaign were not doing this for gratitude.  "It's not about them saying thanks," Mr. Porter said. "It's about us saying thanks to them."(peverest@herald.ca)

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This is one of the best causes and I implore you to join in and help make this project happen....this is your chance to prove how special you and the other ARC members really are.  Steve Bamford, ARC webmaster

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This project was a total success.  Click this image below to see the final outcome.