COSTCO and WALMART turn their backs on 50M veterans and their families

These two leading retailers were offered a no cost opportunity to BACK-OUR-VETS and turned it down.

Walmart’s excuse was that they donate millions of dollars every year to worthwhile veterans causes and employ thousands of veterans, while Costco said they employ veterans and won’t want to collect money at their check-out counters.  We embrace Walmart’s generous corporate donations’ and extend  congratulations to both companies stating they employ veterans, whereas we offered them the chance to enlist the POWER-OF-THE-PEOPLE -  their customers, to participate in raising huge amounts of “MONEY” of which every single penny would go to support our military families.    

If COSTCO would have participated in their 442 USA based stores we estimated their customers would have voluntarily donated $18,564,000 to BACK-OUR-VETS.  Whereas Walmart reports that 1,400,000 USA customers shop their stores every week.  Let’s suppose that each customer voluntarily donated 2 cents on top of their TOTAL bill then Walmart would help raise $145,600,000 for our veterans. Grant you not every customer might participate, but if only 25% of their customers donated the 2 cents each time they shopped they would be contributing annually $36,400,000 to BACK-OUR-VETS.

Equally important would be the leadership example either of these two retail giants would be setting for the other retailers across America.  Our goal is to have 150,000 retail cashiers participating in every town across America which can raise $1 billion every year, with 100% of the funds going to care for the welfare and providing the compassionate benefits our veterans have rightfully earned. I will not apologize to any company, organization or group that will not participate to BACK-OUR-VETS which is a noble cause, and our duty as patriotic Americans to lock arms to share our responsibility to honor our veterans and troops.

We are in the midst of a presidential campaign in which both candidates have publicly repeated their pledges and empty promises to provide for our veterans without revealing how this will be accomplished. What is their plan?

Being a World War ll Navy veteran I have red, white and blue running through my veins and feel passionately obligated to TRY to assist 50 million veterans/troops and their military families.

At 85 I shouldn’t be a sissy, but when I see a spouse, especially with young children, that lost their husband or wife due to their service for this country, and we callously abandon her or him my heart breaks with shame, and I weep when our heroes in Afghanistan return to America to be homeless and hungry. The climbing rate of suicides amongst our military men and women is not only alarming it must end, and the sooner the better.  I am no famous war hero. I haven’t a chest full of medals. I served my country honorably for which I am grateful and proud, yet I believe I am responsible for my brothers and sisters in arms.  I don’t have a degree in medicine nor psychology to help mend the bodies and minds of those veterans and troops who are crying to be helped and cured from their dependency on alcohol and drugs to relieve their pain.

Rarely did we see during World War ll any women (other than the nurses), bearing arms with the troops, yet today almost 15% of our military are ladies who often fight like tigers in the trenches of warfare. There is an absolute shortage of beds in and out of our VA hospitals for these women warriors.  I needn’t tell you about the high percentage of these ladies who return home with mental problems which can be cured with the right professional care, concern and loving compassion.

My treasure is a long history in advertising and marketing in which I used my God given talents to influence, and persuade millions of people to buy products, services and ideas, so I am dedicated to raise “MONEY,” lot’s of money, to be used to care and treat our 50 million veterans and their families. This is not a one-shot, kiss ‘em and leave ‘em program. America has not adequately taken proper care of our Iraqi troops and we are about get a new influx of courageous men and women in 2013 who will be returning from Afghanistan.  Will Americans accept their moral obligation to care with compassion or will our apathy continue to be a blot on our souls?

I apologize for preaching to my fellow Americans, but I simply want everyone to understand what beats in my heart when most people tell me to retire, travel and enjoy the numbered days of my long life.  My preference, however is to love, and toil with a will to be of whatever assist I can muster for not only the military veteran families, but to kindle the spark of patriotism in every American to pitch in and work collectively, whether they are rich or poor, to be of help.

The plan is so simple it scares most people.  All we are trying to do is get 300 million Americans, young and old, when they shop at an authorized, participating retailer to voluntarily add two cents to their total purchase.  Two cents?  That sounds absurd, doesn’t it?  For every 1,000 transactions at a single cashier in Walmart, Walgreens, McDonalds, Starbucks, Macy’s, 7-Eleven,  Chevron, General Dollar, Subway, etc. it’s $20 a day, and  over 350 days we have raised $7,000 per cashier.  Our goal is to have 150,000 retail cashiers, all across America, and we would be the horsepower for having raised over $1 billion dollars annually to BACK-OUR-VETS. Guaranteed that 100% of every consumer donated dollar, with no fees or commissions, goes directly to those public and private organizations serving, treating and caring for our military families.  The two cents donations are not a tax, they are a voluntary hands-up to help our vets. We supplement, or possibly replace much of the Federal funds to relieve the burden on our national debt. It’s simple free enterprise using the POWER OF THE PEOPLE, (no matter if they are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or whatever color of their skin or religious persuasion), to meet their responsibility and obligation to do their duty for those who honorably gave their time, and unfortunately for some their limbs and lives.

If all America isn’t ready, willing and able to roll-up their sleeves to BACK-OUR-VETS then we can’t wait to do our part, but will start with a program in the 12 counties which comprise the Greater Houston Metro Area and hope our success with 6.1 million people will allow us to expand across Texas, and then in every State in America. What we are currently planning to do is get the major local and national retailers to participate, and we have a similar program to enlist the banks, museums, sports arenas, major office and public buildings, colleges and universities, shopping malls, and houses of worship where they become catalysts for collecting the “MONEY,” two cents at a time to BACK-OUR-VETS.  We have an outline for a plan as to how to reach every consumer by working in collaboration with other veteran organizations like the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warriors, the USO, Paralyzed Veterans, Operation American Heroes, U.S. Vets, Int., and many others, we believe we can lay the ground work to contact and expedite a successful program not just temporarily, but which will work for many, many years into the future.

In addition, we will offer a complete line of BACK-OUR-VETS merchandise including t-shirts, jackets, backpacks, canteens, flashlights, caps, kids helmets, boots, Fallen Hero greeting cards, posters, stamps, books, flags, etc. including full color paintings of the 500 Texans who gave their lives fighting for our country. Any profits we will enjoy will be shared with our non-profit partners. Primarily, the authorized retail participants have an advantage to build customer loyalty as patriotic shoppers have the freedom of choice where they will shop and be able to BACK-OUR-VETS with their 2 cents contributions.  Everyone, working together in unison, we can Bless America’s troops and veteran families.

   May I please suggest you take 30 seconds to watch a video we produced for just $115 which was the rental cost of my Uncle Sam costume. 

Then Mr. and Mrs. American open your hearts and “DON’T FORGET. BACK-OUR-VETS.”

Come on Costco, Walmart and you other multi store retailers, we are not asking you to open your pocket books, but open your minds and conscience to BACK-OUR-VETS who back America in war and peace.