07 Mar Hungry Soldiers – An American Tradition?
Sam watched a log slowly break into a dozen chunks of bright orange. He let out a deep breath. “I don’t see how we can defeat the British. The situation looks hopeless to me. You believe we can?”
“Yes, I do.” Thomas Paine answered with complete assurance. “I have been with the army for eight months – through the fall of New York, Fort Washington, Fort Lee, the retreat across New Jersey. The men have been challenged beyond comprehension – with never enough shelter, clothing, food, or munitions. They have endured every obstacle imaginable. True, things look dire at this moment. But there is a spirit to these men that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A tenacity, a grim optimism that will pull them through. It may take some time, but we will prevail.” The King’s Broad Arrow
Thomas Paine, the English writer whose stirring political essays ignited the spark of revolution in thousands of American hearts, died a poor man. Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, is considered the greatest publishing success in the 18th century. First published on January 10, 1776, the 46-page pamphlet transformed the discordance of squabbling colonies into a united cause – the American Revolution. A fraction of the profits from the over 500,000 copies of Common Sense sold would have made Paine financially set for life, yet he chose to donate all of the proceeds from that pamphlet, and the rest of his writing over the course of the Revolution to the war effort. Even before his brief stint as an aide-de-camp to Major General Nathanael Greene, Paine knew that the soldiers in the newly formed Continental Army were severely hampered by constant shortages in clothing, supplies, munitions and food. Paine would no doubt be surprised and disappointed to know that 244 years later, soldiers in the United States military, and their families, are still suffering from hunger.
Food insecurity has risen to unprecedented levels during the pandemic, and military families are among the 37 million Americans affected. Even before the pandemic, food insecurity was a serious problem within the armed services. A 2018 survey by Blue Star Families found that 7% of military family respondents and 12% of veteran family respondents indicated someone in their household faced food insecurity in the past year. Additionally, 9% of military family respondents and 18% of veteran family respondents indicated someone in their household had sought emergency food assistance through a food bank, food pantry, or charitable organization.
Like their civilian peers, military families’ struggle with food insecurity due to the loss of income, financial emergencies, etc. While the income of the service member is dependable, military spouses have unique employment challenges, resulting from constant relocations and the inability to transfer professional licenses from state to state. Having to change jobs with each move means that military spouses accrue less seniority in the workplace, and are frequently the first fired in a weak economy. Civilian families facing food insecurity are able to turn to federal food programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), also referred to as food stamps. But for many military families, the housing allowance which is included in their income excludes them from being eligible for food assistance programs.
Thomas Paine was inspired by the sacrifices of the soldiers he wrote for and served with. His work and life were a tremendous inspiration to me in creating The King’s Broad Arrow. In his honor, 10% of proceeds from all sales of The King’s Broad Arrow sales will be donated to food assistance for military families through ASYMCA and Blue Star Families. Direct donations can also be made on their websites.
Direct Donations:
https://connect.bluestarfam.org/campaign/givebsf2020/c312888
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/us/politics/coronavirus-military-hunger.html
https://www.radicalteatowel.com/tea-towels/thomas-paine-tea-towel