Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

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Go Bubba Go
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Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by Go Bubba Go »

In another post entitled Derby in Iraq - pics, a few of the members here got to discussing the possibility of providing materials to our troops in Iraq to allow them to conduct a Pinewood Derby there, both for themselves and perhaps for some of the local children as well.

Initially we could not find a good contact on the ground there, but one of our members (kratev13 aka Army Major Matt Voyles, who was serving full time stateside at the time) indicated that he was being deployed to Iraq shortly and would love to facilitate the effort on that end after he arrived and had a little time to get established.

“Major Matt” went quiet for a couple of months on DT (got his hands full as you would expect), but he recently re-emerged and posted the following:
kratev13 wrote:Hello again from Iraq. I just got done writing an email thanking Dave at Supertimer.com for his generous gift of a four lane Supertrack, timer and race software free of charge, shipped to us here in Diwaniyah. The generosity of folks is amazing. I can't thank him enough. Dave has stated that he's going to ship her out in the first week of September and we're probably looking at holding our on-base race for the troops sometime in November and the one for the local Iraqi kids in either December or January. If anyone has any extra kits, tools, materials, weights, whatever, that they'd like to send, I'd really appreciate it. We've got U.S. and Coalition troops from 13 countries on our base and I'm not sure yet what the level of participation might be. I'm going to draft up a flyer to post in the DFAC (Dining Facility, we're not allowed to call them "mess halls" anymore) to begin sign-up and get an idea of how many Soldiers will want to take part. I've discussed it with the Polish forces here and they have something similar in Poland and are eager to give it a go here. It's amazing how many Soldiers were cub scouts and have great memories of the PWD when we were boys. Our little base is not a major facility and we don't have much in the way of MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) here so this will be a great activity that we can use to reconnect to home. Again, thank you in advance for anything you can spare. My address is:

Major Matt Voyles
U.S. Army G-Staff
Camp Echo
APO AE 09332

P.S. Shipping to an APO (Army Post Office) address is like shipping to the east coast of the U.S. Once it gets to Dover, DE, it goes on a military plane from there. If anyone has stuff but needs me to pay for shipping, just let me know. Again, thank you.

MAJ Matt
First, thanks Dave!!! for providing the track, etc. That is too cool!

Second, my fellow pineheads, OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!!!

For those that are interested in sending materials directly to Matt on their own, he has posted his address above. From my experience it takes about a week or so for smaller packages to make it to him.

For those that are interested in pooling (and maximizing through discount and shared postage) their resources, arrangements have been set up with MaxV (Randy Davis of http://www.maximum-velocity.com" target="_blank).

Randy has agreed to aggregate the funds and assemble a “Derby in a Box” Pinewood care package complete with kits, lube, decals, etc. (see his web order page for detailed list). Significantly, Randy has agreed to discount the materials he is assembling by 35% in order to give us the biggest “bang for our buck” with this effort (Thanks, Randy!!!).

I have agreed to field any questions about this effort, and would appreciate any “public” or “typical” ones being attached to this post, to which I will reply for the benefit of all interested parties. Any more personal questions could be sent to me directly via PM (Go Bubba Go here at DerbyTalk).

Since Matt plans to hold his Derby for the troops in November, time is of the essence. My plan is to send him 2 packages from our “pooled” effort, one at the end of September (to give them plenty of “build time”), and the other after Randy closes the order page down. Depending on the response, we might send additional packages in order to limit them to a reasonable size.

Please spread the word, and I invite you all personally to support Matt in his endeavor, whether through an individual package being sent to his address above or through contributing to our “pooled” effort.

In closing, a little reminder about what having a Pinewood Derby might really mean to a troop in the desert:

1. It’s a “little bit of home”
2. It’s a break in the routine (do NOT underestimate this, you vets know what I’m talking about)
3. It’s a chance to compete with their peers (and troops from the other countries stationed there) in a wholesome activity
4. It’s a chance to build a little something to send home to loved ones (esp. the little ones of “Pinewood age”)
5. It’s a “creative outlet”
6. It’s a reminder of their own PWD adventures, be it through Scouting, Awana, etc.
7. It’s an opportunity to reach out to the local children
8. And many, many more…

Thanks in advance to all of you for your support. Many of you have previously indicated your willingness to contribute once we got the supply lines established, so to speak, and I have found Pineheads in general to be a very generous lot.

Rick (aka Go Bubba Go)

p.s. A little background on my relationship with Major Matt (i.e. who are either of us, anyway?) Matt and I are both Cub Scout Leaders and unmitigated Pineheads. I met Matt a couple of years ago at our Council Pinewood Derby race when one of my boys matched up against his in the Semi-Final race (his went on the win the Finals, we we’re still fairly new at the time but “wait ‘til next year”). In the course of our conversation I discovered that he was working full time with the Army National Guard, and that we had many mutual acquaintances from my previous service with a unit 200 miles away. Small world. Anyway, Matt went to Iraq back in April, and I’m currently stateside (I was medically discharged after being a passenger in a UH-1 helicopter that flew into some trees many years ago – a long story I won’t relate here but trust me, gravity works). If it weren’t for the medical issue, chances are I’d probably still be in uniform and be over there somewhere with him. So for me personally, it’s more than just a Pinewood enthusiasm issue, it’s a Golden Rule issue - If I were still in uniform and over there, I’d reeeaaally appreciate somebody shipping me a couple big boxes filled with Pinewood goodies.
Last edited by Go Bubba Go on Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by Go Bubba Go »

p.s. If any of you guys have a line on distributors of medals or ribbons, please let me know. I am looking into providing some sort of awards or commerative ribbons for Matt to present to the participants.
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by kratev13 »

Hello Again,
Just a quick note to update everyone. Dave at Supertimer.com just emailed me and confirmed shipment of the Supertrack and Supertimer for us. If the gods of mail (and the U.S. Air Force) cooperate we should receive the track, timer and software in about two weeks. Getting mail here is interesting. You know the old saying about snow, sleet, hail, dark of night, etc.. not stopping the mail. Well, they didn't include sandstorms and mechanical breakdowns of combat aircraft. The anticipation and excitement is already starting to build here. I've put out a couple of announcements that the derby is planned and I've been getting tons of comments and emails from Soldiers who can't wait to participate. We're working on the Iraqi school option for the kids derby and I'm getting some help from some of our Marines who work with them. I've even aroused the contractors from KBR who might want to compete. This should be a couple of great events and it couldn't happen without all of your help. Again, thank you to Derbytalk.com and all the forum members, especially Dave Delage from Supertimer.com, Randy Davis (MaxV from Maximum Velocity) and Rick Sanner (Go Bubba Go). I'll keep you posted and hopefully have some pictures when we start construction and hold a couple of workshops.
MAJ Matt
Camp Echo
Diwaniyah, Iraq
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by DerbyAddict »

Greetings from Central Florida -

GoBubbaGo asked me to post after our committee meeting.

Just wanted to let you guys know that the Scouts and parents of Pack 241 of Deltona, Florida want our troops and the children in Iraq to have a Super-Good Pinewood Derby. We will be donating $250 toward the success of the events. Next we're going to see if our Charter will match (it's a VFW Post :D ).

We look forward to seeing some pics and hearing some great stories......
*****************************
Richard Sava
Cubmaster, Pack 241
Deltona, FL
*****************************
Any day racing PWD is a good day but winning makes a better good day!
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kevinrevin
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by kevinrevin »

Godspeed for this is great idea!

Our Cub Scouts of Pack 549, Tatum,TX, (population 1,000-ish) sent 18 car kits to a group of soldiers in Balad, Iraq as a part of its Operation: Hero Scoutreach, an ongoing project of Pack 549. It began as a project to send Christmas gifts to a group of soldiers serving in Iraq, but grew into a Pinewood Derby event that spans the globe.

Pack 549 chose to show their support for our troops in Iraq in a most unique way dubbed Operation: Hero Scoutreach. In November 2006 our Pack obtained a list of soldier’s names, and instead of sending the usual ‘Soldier Care Package’, each Cub assembled a personally heartfelt Christmas gift for their chosen soldier. In an additional effort to further build bonds of friendship, the Cub Scouts chose to send a pinewood derby kit to be built by their soldier and returned in time for our Pack Pinewood Derby. Upon receiving the eighteen cars built in a war zone, the Cub Scout of Pack 545 added necessary weight and tuned the cars for competition. Our Pack Pinewood Derby had a special race for the soldier-built cars raced by their Cub Scout teammate. This project resulted in a big moral boost to the soldiers involved according to their Staff Sergeant, and evidenced by the special hand-made gifts and correspondence from the soldiers themselves.

The significance of this race was reflected in the teary-eyes of the two hundred plus in attendance. The crowd watched with great anticipation as United States Congressman Louis Gohmert started the first heat. Several professional Scouters from the East Texas Area Council were on hand for the event and photographed the Championship awards ceremony conducted by Congressman Gohmert.


These 18 cars are going on display at the BSA National Museum beginning October 13, 2007, as a part of their Race to Scouting event. In January, the cars are expected to be a part of a "Scouts during war-time" display for 2008.

Kevin Boatman
Webelos Ledaer & Pack 549 PWD Director
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by Go Bubba Go »

The good folks at PineCar are on board with a donation toward our effort.

Last friday they shipped out a couple big boxes to Matt containing the following:

50 of their P3930 Racer Shaping Tool Kits for cutting and shaping the blocks

50 of their P380 Sandpaper Assortments for sanding cut and shaped blocks

60 of their P401-P412 Custom Finishing Paint Kits for painting the sanded cars

This should go a long way toward helping the troops and kids convert their the raw blocks into some lean, mean racing machines!

Thanks PineCar!!!
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by Go Bubba Go »

Go Bubba Go wrote:p.s. If any of you guys have a line on distributors of medals or ribbons, please let me know. I am looking into providing some sort of awards or commerative ribbons for Matt to present to the participants.
Found a local maker of ribbons that is willing to donate 200+ of them for Matt's derbies.

They will be blue with gold foil letters (we thought about tan ribbons with black letters, but figured the troops could use a break from the Desert Camo color scheme), and will read as follows:

Camp Echo, Iraq
Pinewood Derby

(a race car logo here)

2007 Inaugural Race


Should be enough for all the participants (troops and kids) to walk away with one.

Still gonna work on some trophies for top awards if any of you guys have a line on sellers / distributors.

Regards,

Bubba

p.s. less than a month left before we close up shop on collecting donations for the first derby in November.
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

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Go Bubba Go wrote:p.s. If any of you guys have a line on distributors of medals or ribbons, please let me know. I am looking into providing some sort of awards or commerative ribbons for Matt to present to the participants.
In addition to the participant ribbon donation, we also found a local maker of trophies that is willing to donate 16 of them for Matt's troop derby (still need to confirm with Matt what / whether trophies would be appropriate for the kids derby).

The awards will be as follows:

Enlisted - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Officer - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Contractor - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Best Design - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Best Paint - 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Grand Champion

Nameplates will be similar to the following:

Camp Echo, Iraq
Pinewood Derby
1st Place - Enlisted


1st, 2nd and 3rd will be approx. 6, 8, and 10" tall with the Grand Champion approx 12" tall with the short "07" numeral on the bases.

We will ship them disassembled for space and potential damage concerns and include a 1/4 x 20 wrench for assembly in country. We hesistated in going any larger due to the space requirements in getting them there and the need for the troops to be able to stash them in their duffle bags (and not increase risk of damage) for the trip home.

Regards,

Bubba

p.s. only about 3 weeks left before we close up shop on collecting donations for the first derby in November.
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by OCTom »

Just read this posting. I assume I am too late for the first PWD but would love to help with the next. Is there still one planned for the local kids? How would we go about helping?
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

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OCTom wrote:Just read this posting. I assume I am too late for the first PWD but would love to help with the next. Is there still one planned for the local kids? How would we go about helping?
I will shoot you a PM with specifics, but right now we have sent Matt quite a bit of material and are waiting to hear whether he needs additional material for the 2nd derby or not. Stay tuned.

Bubba
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by kratev13 »

Just a quick update, here's some shots from our first workshop. The race is the 30th of December and folks are busy working on their cars. Again, thank you so much to everyone who've donated and helped with this event. The last shot is a group picture, I'm the one in the Bears hat....I know...they suck this year, they're still my team and as far as I'm concerned the only game left that matters is Green Bay....GO FOR THE SWEEP!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

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kratev13 wrote:The race is the 30th of December and folks are busy working on their cars. Again, thank you so much to everyone who've donated and helped with this event. The last shot is a group picture, I'm the one in the Bears hat....I know...they suck this year, they're still my team and as far as I'm concerned the only game left that matters is Green Bay....GO FOR THE SWEEP!
Just a reminder to you guys that Matt's Derby in Iraq is scheduled for this upcoming Sunday.

Might be worth including in your prayers Sunday a request for a peaceful and enjoyable event for those guys who are away from their families again this year.

Also, Good Luck Matt!!!

Bubba

p.s. Bears Sweep! (35-7 last week). Not sure where they were the rest of the season :(
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Re: Opportunity to provide Pinewood Derby to troops in Iraq

Post by Go Bubba Go »

Hey Dudes:

Finally got a bunch of pictures from the Iraq Derby.

Posted them all here:

http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/IraqPWD2007

Let me know if the link doesn't work...

Bubba
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