To Whom it May Concern,

My name is Captain Steve Tegge.  I am the company commander for Alpha Company, 2^nd Battalion, 7^th Cavalry.  We are the company who received the steaks you sent to Mosul. We are in the process of a videotaped “thank you” message, but as the commander, I wanted to thank you in writing. 

We have a dining facility that serves steaks on occasion but, as I am sure you can imagine, the quality is not the greatest, and it is mass produced, so it gets over cooked to the point of losing all its flavor. One of the things that the Soldiers really enjoy doing is to get their own food and cook it on grills.  It is one of the first things Soldiers do on any deployment or extended training event is to find a way to cook their own food. We have number of very good young cooks in the company. Even in Iraq, grilling is serious business.

So, to receive the amount and quality of meat we did was like a gift from heaven. Before it was even thawed and separated, the grills were heating up. This company is predominantly infantrymen and tank crewmen, so they are true meat eaters. It meant a lot to them to be able to slow down for a moment, fire up the grill and gather in their platoon areas and have a social event. We all drank non-alcoholic beer and sodas and had a relaxing evening. The heat is dying down as fall approaches, so the evenings are quite pleasant now.  Soldiers took out their iPods, put on their baseball caps from home, and set up their folding chairs, turning the area into a true back yard barbeque. Nothing brings an air of relaxation and social ease like a hot grill and good friends; and these guys have become very good friends over the last couple years.

We are an extremely busy company and we have had a lot of success in doing our jobs. These young men do a huge service and have incredible courage and dedication to their buddies and their mission. To receive a gift like this from home drives home the fact that there are countless, nameless Americans out there who do appreciate what we do every day. These guys suit up in their combat gear every day and face a morally bankrupt enemy who is treacherous and creative and they do it with a sense of humor, professionalism and compassion that most people would never think impossible. Every day they are shot at with machine guns and RPGs and they have IEDs detonate on their trucks and tanks. They get up the next day, suit up and go and do it again. They are amazing people. To get a nod of appreciation from the people of your organization and a day to slow down and enjoy a taste of something from home is truly appreciated. Thank you for putting the time, money, and effort into doing something like this for all of us. You represent all that is great about our country and make me proud to do what I do for a living. 

Thank you for recognizing these great Soldiers for all they are doing here.

CPT STEPHEN J. TEGGE

Alpha Company Commander

For the whole story click here.