To Order T-Shirts from the 2006 FMBA Convention

Email me!

- Your name, address, phone number, email address & your FMBA local #

- Number of shirts and the sizes needed

sizes available Small to 5X

- Shirts are $15.00

Orders can be filled at any time!

How T-Shirts for the Troops Started

This is Sgt Andrew Brown.

My Godson, Andy, was killed in Iraq on October 8, 2004 at the age of 22.

After Andy's death, I sent many different care packages to the troops in Iraq. I sent magazines, batteries, cigarettes and candy bars. I'm sure these extras were well received but, I still felt as if I could be providing something more, something that stayed with the soldiers after the last M & M was gone.

While attending a memorial service in Fort Hood Texas, I spoke with a Chaplain who helped me with this dilemma; what could I send a soldier that would last a bit and also show my support for their efforts. The Chaplain indicated that T-shirts from home were a huge hit with the soldiers.

I took his suggestion to heart and "T-Shirts for the Troops" was started!

Your Department, Your Logo, Your T-Shirts for the Troops in Five Easy Pieces

T-Shirts for Troops is a project that any Fire Department can run to show their support for the Troops in Iraq.

Below are Five Easy Steps that outline how I ran "T-Shirts for Troops" in North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue. This is just an outline. You should adapt things to fit your department and community.

The end result will still be the same; the Troops in Iraq will know that NJ Firefighters are supporting them.

Piece 1: I'm in Charge Now What?

So you have been designated as the point person for the "T-Shirts for Troops" for your Fire Department. The main thing to keep in mind is, the more T-shirts sold in your community the more T-shirts that you can send to the Troops. Don't worry---the rewards will be many!

The following are some issues that you may want to discuss before you kick things off in your Department.

Will your Department be the main sponsor of the T-Shirts?

You can decide if your Department will run this project alone or will you partner up with another organization - EMS, Police also consider the American Legion, the VFW or the Elks in your community.

Which Unit in Iraq will be receiving your T-Shirts?

The best way to decide on this is to check in your own department and see if anyone has a family member currently serving in Iraq. You can also check the FMBA web site which has a list of current NJFMBA members called to active duty. Your local Veterans organizations would also be able to provide this information.

What is your time frame for this project?

I have found that this project takes about two months from the original printing of the shirts for sale, sale of the shirts and, the re-printing of the shirts for the troops in Iraq. So, when you are deciding on a Unit to "adopt" be sure they will still be deployed in Iraq when you plan on shipping your T-shirts.


Who is the Chaplain of the Unit you will be working with?

Without a doubt, the units Chaplain is the best person as your contact in Iraq.
An individual solider is not equipped to handle the receipt of the T-shirts which could be delivered in many boxes. Leaving distribution up to them would be an unnecessary chore. The Chaplain has contact with many of the troops and would see that the T-shirts are distributed to those soldiers who should receive them. Both times I have run this project, the Chaplains have been just thrilled to be able to distribute something tangible to their troops.

How do I contact the Unit Chaplain?

Email is the best method of communication with those in the sandbox. Please contact me directly if you need some assistance locating a Unit Chaplain or their email information. Also, read the "Tips" section below.

Piece 2: Designing Your T-Shirt to Sell

This is where you can show your Department's support for the Troops. The text, the graphics and the color of the shirt are all up to you.

In the past I have designed two shirts. Both shirts were gray, a dark shirt in the heat of Iraq is not a good idea. I also wanted my members to have the same shirt as the soldiers. The first shirt had my Department's logo on the front. The back of the T-shirt had the logo of the "519th Vipers" the Unit we adopted. This was a three color T-shirt and it sold very well.

The next shirt I designed was for the 1st Cavalry. This is the T-shirt which was sold at the 2006 FMBA convention. This shirt had a modified New Jersey FMBA logo with the 1st Cavalry logo in the center. Take a look in the post above. The back had the 1st Cavalry logo with some text. A picture is also shown below. This was a two color T-shirt and it sold very well.

This web site list all of the military units logos. You can also go a Google search to locate an image. If your printer offers the services of a graphic designer for free, take advantage! Remember, the more intricate a T-shirt the more expensive it will be to print. This will cut down on your profits and in turn on the number of shirts going to the Troops.

So, you now have a T-shirt design....what next

Piece 3: Printing the Shirts

After you have designed your T-shirt, you will need to work with a printer. If you have already been working with a printer, stick with them. If you can use the same printer who does your department T-shirts, stick with them. If you have a local business who would be willing to cut some prices for a worthy cause that is who you would use!

I have used Z-Line Imprinted Sportswear, 3263 Route 35 North, Ocean Beach, New Jersey 08735. (732) 793-1234. Scott Zabelski from Z-Line worked very well with me and made some recommendations that I found useful. He has a graphic artist that he works with for free. His one time set up charge for the shirts is very reasonable. Approval on the T-shirts and all discussions can be done via email or telephone.

One thing that I found extremely useful when sending the shirts to the APO address of the Unit's Chaplain, Z-line was willing to ship the shirts, at cost, directly from their facilities so I did not have to drive and pick up boxes and take them to UPS or the Post Office. This was a great time saver.

I have no connection to Z-Line. I checked four different companies and found Z-line would provide me the best prices which in turn meant more T-shirts for the Troops. So use the company that best suits your needs to produce a T-shirt that your Department members and the Troops would be proud to wear.

Now I have these great T-shirts, how do I sell them......

Piece 4: Selling Your T-Shirts

Now that you have a good product you will want to sell the T-shirts.

After you know your costs from the printer, you can set a price to sell the shirts. It is a good thing to be able to tell those buying a shirt, "for every one shirt sold, we will send two t-shirts to Iraq."

When I sold the shirts in my Department, I had a flyer and a sign up sheet in each house with an explanation of the project. Don't forget to post sign up sheets and flyers with your dispatchers and your mechanics. I found this group of people, many times left out, were great supporters of this effort.

I asked the Firefighters to mark down the number of shirts they wanted, the sizes and their money. The sign up sheet had a color pictures of the back and front of the T-shirt which was provided by the printer. I asked one person from each house to collect the money. I left the sheet up for two weeks before I collected them.

I than had my list of those ordering shirts, the sizes needed and the money to place the order. I also asked and received generous donations from the Firefighters Local and the Fire Officers Local.

I called the printer and ordered the correct amount of shirts for the Firefighters and a separate order for the T-shirts for Iraq.

If you have a smaller department, this is where you would want to sell the shirts to family members, civic organizations and any other places you see fit. The more T-shirts you sell, the more will be heading to Iraq.

Now that your T-shirts are sold lets see how they get from NJ to Iraq....

Piece 5: Printing & Sending the Shirts to Iraq

So when your T-shirts are sold, you will know how many you need to have printed for your Department. You also know your profit so you can order T-shirts to go to Iraq. If you have to chose, have the shirts printed for your paying clients printed first. Deliver the shirts to the firehouses and you are half done!

I ordered mostly Large and X-Large T-shirts to send to the Troops. I ordered a small amount of Medium and 2-XL's but the bulk of the order was for L and XL shirts.

Speak with your printer and ask if he can ship the T-shirts directly from his store to the APO address of the Unit Chaplain. This APO address is in the US so the cost will not be outrageous. You have two options for shipping: ground or air. Of course air will cost more but if there is a time deadline if your "adopted" Unit is heading home, you may want to consider this. Shipping cost about $20 per box which holds around 75 shirts in each.

A customs declaration must be completed for each box. This form is available in the Post Office. Also, be sure if the printer will send the shirts directly, that all the billing paperwork is removed from the boxes ahead of time.

Email the Unit Chaplain and let them know the T-shirts are in the mail! Be sure to ask the Chaplain to send some follow up pictures of the Troops in the shirts. They will be a great thing to show for your efforts in your Department.

I would also ask that you email me a copy of the shirts you design so I can post them on this site.

Tips

Below is a list of tips that should help with any questions you may have.

• How do you identify a Unit to "adopt" to send T-shirts? Ask around your department, your families and, your community to identify a soldier and their unit. A soldier that has some connection to your Department or community is perfect. You may also check the State FMBA web site for a list of Fellow FBMA members currently serving.
• How many soldiers are in a Unit and how many T-shirts do I send? Once you have identified the Unit your soldier belong to, take some time to find the Unit's logo and also see how many soldiers are assigned to that Unit. For example, the 705th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 1st Combat Support Brigade out of Ft. Polk recently deployed to Iraq. That Unit consist of 23 soldiers. If you sent them 200 T-shirts they would be very appreciative but also a bit overwhelmed. So, a suggestion, take one step back from a soldier's individual Unit. Find out who they are attached to, i.e. which Task Force. The 1st Cavalry T-shirts we send from the FBMA convention have tens of thousand of Troops deployed in Iraq. The 1st Cavalry is made up of many smaller Units so we could never send "to many" shirts! One dozen shirt or one hundred shirts---it doesn't matter, the soldiers will be appreciative.
  
• How do I know when a Unit of soldiers in heading home? Check the web site of the Unit your soldier is from. It will have the deployment date. Most Units are deployed from 8 months to a year. T-Shirts for Troops take about 2 months to run from inception to mailing so be sure the soldiers are scheduled to still be in Iraq. If not, the T-shirts, addressed to the Chaplain, will be forwarded to the Troops once they are home. Still a nice surprise for them.
  
• How do you locate the Chaplain of the Unit you would like to send T-shirts to? This is a easy one! Send me the APO address of the soldier in the unit you are "adopting" and I will get you the email address of the Chaplain in Iraq. You can also do a "google" search on the home base the Unit was deployed from. You will find a telephone number for the Chaplain's office. Call that number. Chaplains are so in tune with their Troops, they will bend over backwards to help get you the information you need.

• Shipping the T-Shirts Take at look at this site for information on sending packages to the Troops in Iraq. It explains what an APO mailing address is and how a package arrives. You will to complete a Customs Declaration Form, available in the Post Office, for each box.