thedrifter
08-16-06, 09:43 AM
Posted on Wed, Aug. 16, 2006
Apolitical T-shirts support U.S. troops
The yellow ribbon has become the accepted sign of support for U.S. troops fighting overseas, but it is decidedly plain, impersonal and sometimes intensely politicized.
At least that is what the founders of Take Pride believe, and they are trying to rally America’s youth around new symbols that show solidarity with the country’s service members. The organization promotes T-shirts aimed at evoking the spirit of the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, without taking a political stance.
The group offers nine shirts inspired by individual soldiers and Marines who have risked, or are risking, their lives on the battlefield.
One shirt depicts a medical cross emblazoned with an image of Iraq and the words “to fight” and “to heal,” emphasizing the duality of a medic’s mission. Another shows a stoic Marine with the phrase “living history” below his face.
Founders Patrick Gray and John Betz started the venture this summer because they sensed that people were losing sight of the troops fighting the war.
Gray and Betz give 20 percent of their profits to charities and causes that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Betz, 32, served four years in the Marine Corps, until 2003. He is a captain in the Individual Ready Reserve and talks regularly with friends who are going to or have returned from the wars.
“We don’t hear about the individual achievements much,” Betz says. “These shirts are a way to identify with the troops, a way to say, ‘I’ve got your back, and I appreciate what you’re doing over there,’ without having to make a political statement.”
The shirts, which cost $20 or $22, are available at www.takepride.com, where the soldiers and Marines who inspired them also are featured along with a blog. The Web site accepts design ideas from troops stationed around the world and nominations for those who might inspire future shirts.
— Josh White,
The Washington Post
Ellie
Apolitical T-shirts support U.S. troops
The yellow ribbon has become the accepted sign of support for U.S. troops fighting overseas, but it is decidedly plain, impersonal and sometimes intensely politicized.
At least that is what the founders of Take Pride believe, and they are trying to rally America’s youth around new symbols that show solidarity with the country’s service members. The organization promotes T-shirts aimed at evoking the spirit of the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, without taking a political stance.
The group offers nine shirts inspired by individual soldiers and Marines who have risked, or are risking, their lives on the battlefield.
One shirt depicts a medical cross emblazoned with an image of Iraq and the words “to fight” and “to heal,” emphasizing the duality of a medic’s mission. Another shows a stoic Marine with the phrase “living history” below his face.
Founders Patrick Gray and John Betz started the venture this summer because they sensed that people were losing sight of the troops fighting the war.
Gray and Betz give 20 percent of their profits to charities and causes that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Betz, 32, served four years in the Marine Corps, until 2003. He is a captain in the Individual Ready Reserve and talks regularly with friends who are going to or have returned from the wars.
“We don’t hear about the individual achievements much,” Betz says. “These shirts are a way to identify with the troops, a way to say, ‘I’ve got your back, and I appreciate what you’re doing over there,’ without having to make a political statement.”
The shirts, which cost $20 or $22, are available at www.takepride.com, where the soldiers and Marines who inspired them also are featured along with a blog. The Web site accepts design ideas from troops stationed around the world and nominations for those who might inspire future shirts.
— Josh White,
The Washington Post
Ellie