March 8, 2008 -- There are so many folks we need to thank ... The Heroes & Angels that made this all possible. So settle back and who all and what all it takes to put one of these events together. Our "Thanks!" in no particular order ...
Our Heroes at the Tacoma PD 
sent out "The Bear", this is their SWAT rig, and boy is it impressive. Wow! They even let JJ & Aaron do a quick couple photos. But they also sent out some of their motorcycle cops to spend the day with us. We love these guys. They lead us out on the send offs for the annual tour. And it was TPD's James Lewis who was killed in the Line of Duty in April 2004 that inspired us to take the program further. James would be proud to see how far we've gone to support the troops. Semper Fi!
After all the crazy pace of the day, there were still a big bunch of us that wanted to go celebrate and lift one for the troops. We all went home for a quick freshen up before the "Evening of Heroes" after party 
We want to thank Hooter's of Tacoma for all of their support all year, and then providing their restauarant for our afterparty. The ladies were perfect, the wings were as good as ever, and the venue was the most perfect for our event. Thanks to Bill for going above and beyond for us! It was all so perfect, it was the perfect way for us to cap off 5 years of hard work.
~Adding just the right touch to our evening was the Seattle Fire Department Pipes & Drums. And we want to thank them for making the "Evening of Heroes" such a rocking event! Spencer, Raul and everyone, you guys are so much better than you even know! We love having you be a part of our events. Salute, guys!
We thank Camp Murray for their support & use of the armory for 5 years now! And Sgt Javier for his outstanding support in getting the armory set up, clearing the outlying ares for the Hero Static Display & Extrication. We couldn't do it without you!
Of course we thank every department that participated in the Hero Static Display ... Riverside Fire & Rescue, Tacoma Fire Department, Washington State Patrol, Tacoma Police Department & K-9 & SWAT, Seattle Fire Department, Lakewood Police Department, McChord AFB, Fort Lewis Fire, Chief Kahler of South King Fire, AMR, Puyallup Police & K-9... You all made it perfect! (PLEASE let me know if I left anyone out!)
Fort Lewis' FLEX Team - Jeff Coffey and his talented crew always add the perfect touch to our event, and this was no different. Jeff handled several issues for us, from behind the scenes, making sure that all would go well. And, I want to thank him for letting a young firefighter from a different department step in to narrate ... Great job, Bo!
Thanks to Fort Lewis Fire for not only adding to our Static Display, but providing shelter for our visiting firefighters. And for opening their kitchen to us, as well as providing cooking utensils, pots & pans.
Heartfelt thanks to McChord AFB Fire for their continuing support, contributions to the Static Display, and the use of their cooking implements to accomplish the lunch meal for all. And for the amazing show of support by having a Biscuit Breakfast to help raise funds for our shipping bill. Class acts, all!
We can never thank Jordan, Donna & the crew at CoinForce.Com for all they have done, and continue to do, for us. Wait til you see the new 5th year anniversary lapel pin! It is perfect, and great quality!
John & Pam, and all of the family at Military Memorabilia we will always thank you for all of your support and contributions from the very start. You have been. and continue to be a big part of the H2H family!
We can't believe the efforts put forth by pour Puget Sound Starbucks and their amazing baristas and customers. Outstanding! And on behalf of all of us at HeroToHero.US, and all of the Heroes who are receving great Starbucks coffee ... Not only are we able to send Starbucks to our deployed Heroes, we are able to say thank you to our hometown Heroes, courtesy of the Starbucks Coffee Drive! Through their generosity, and that of their customers, we were able to ship a mass amount of over 1,500 pounds of coffee already. And local fire and police departments are able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee to thank them for being the heart of this effort. (We'll be doing an article all about the coffee drive and its results, stay tuned!)
We need to thank the Hanford High School Girls Basketball Team & Asst Coach Bret Akers, for stepping up and taking the program to the Tri-Cities area. The team went our personally and visited local departments, which brought in shirts we'd not have gotten on our own! On top of which, they collected donations to help us ship the boxes! Nice! Hope you all enjoy your pins, you've earned them!
Thank you to the HAMMER Trainig Center personnel who passed the hat for us and helped us pay for the silver Sharpies we needed so desperately! Special thanks to John Juett, Steve Ingam, Tom Calihan, Mike Fox & Pat Gardner. Thank you!
Thanks to Gordon, of Traeger Grills for cooking up some really great chicken. Go check out those grills! And thanks Jordan, for referring him. Send us the link, and we'll post it here!
Again, thank you to Jeff Grier for providing his posters of "I'll take it from here" Outstanding! You might think you know the story behind the drawing, but do you? Check out his site at I'll take it from here
Thank you to Hampton Inn of Tacoma (82nd St) for donating rooms for our visiting guests
And thanks to Shiloh Inn of Tacoma (Hosmer) for donating a room for Mama Rose
A very personal thanks to Karen Leming and her family for opening their unbelievable home
to our visiting guests. (I am so envious!) ( ;
A very special thanks to Crane's Creations for donating the beautiful rose bouquets for our honored families. They loved them!
Not enough words exist to thank the 63rd OD personnel for making such a perfect moment for the mother of a Fallen 9/11 Hero -- Wolfpack, we salute you! Special thanks to Cpt Heilman & Lt McElroy for making it all happen.
Lloyd Stading, of RAE Systems deserves many thanks for making so many things possible for us this year! He is like the Wizard of Oz, our guy hiding behind the curtain making sure things happen. Thanks, Lloyd!
Kevin & Sue McHarg for flying in all the way from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Kevin, you have been an incredible ally and partner in this effort. 
Sue, that quilt is absolutely unbelievable. I am so sorry about your finger. Use lots of vitamin E on that scar. And thanks for not bleeding on the quilt. Talk about talent!!! ( ;
"Mama" Rose Foti, for flying in from New York City, bringing along untold amounts of meats and cheeses, and then cooking it all up into a wonderful meal for our heroes! 
Also, I want to thank her for the coat memorializing her son, fallen FDNY firefighter Robert Foti, which meant the world to me. **And I would like the person who now has posession of this coat to know that you broke my heart. I want my coat back. It has more meaning to me than it could ever have to you. No questions asked, you can mail it back ...
HeroToHero.US
Attn: Liz Jackson
5700 100th Ave Sw
Suite 224
Lakewood, WA 98499
Thank you so much to Bates Tech Fire Services -- You always rock for us! They have done car washes with us, they have been there for our send offs, and they have helped with our PackOuts. These are our HITmen (& women) ... "Heroes In Training". We can never thank you enough.
Thank you so much to the Hero Color Guard! Always a show stopper! Each of you rocked it, and represented so well for your agency -- We salute you! 
Karen Leming you have been a wonderful asset to the program and as leader of the HCG, you have overseen a difficult task, making it look seamless. Color Guard members this year included ... Tacoma FD's Honor Guard members - Karen Leming, Scott Casebolt & Chris Galbraith ... Gig Harbor Police Dept - Fred Douglas ... USAF - Shannon Spencer ... USMC - Mansoo Masga ... Army - Aaron Leming ... WARNG - Sgt. Chinneth ... Canadian Rep - Bruce Derbyshire ... WSP - Troopers Tim Knopp & Josh Merrit
McChord AFB FTAP volunteers -- Well done! We thank you for volunteering, you represented for the Air Force! Salute. And let me know when you want those "bullets".
Infinity Graphix - Thanks Tara for the outstanding donation of your talents. You always make us look so good. We have heard so many positive comments about the Honor posters. We are eternally grateful!
Thank you Juli Nowak for sewing the uniforms for our beloved mascots. They both look great!
Lincoln Moving & Storage - Thankfully, Bruce made sure we had plenty of supplies for our packing section this year, and we appreciate it. Hard to get those boxes out unless they're taped up!
Thanks Mark Rozen - For adding to the event with your yummy, nutritious and convenient XSGear products. We will be adding a link for Mark, and you will be able to order directly for your troops -- they have a phenomenal product & are able to get you FREE shipping to your troops!
Thanks to Party World for the balloon bouquets that added the perfect festive feel.
Cookies By Design - Every year they've donated yummy cookie bouquets with firefighters, police, troops, and ems. Sooo good!
Safeway for donating sodas
Albertson's for donating yummy treats
Thank you to our friends at Lakewood's Grand Prix Raceway for donating an amazing $3200 worth of indoor go-kart rides as prizes for the PackOut! There were a lot of happy guests at our event. We salute you!
On a personal note, Thank you to 
living legend, World War II P-51 Fighter Pilot, retired Colonel Ted Bullock. Ted, and his lovely bride, Evelyn, joined us for for morning, adding a wonderful element of class and history to the PackOut. Ted called for the moment of silence, during which our Military Honor Guard members folded the American flag for a special honoree. Thank you Ted & Evelyn, we appreciate the effort and your participation. Love you both!
Special thanks to Tacoma Fire Department's Chaplain Wilby Casey 
for being there for us, and adding his voice to our prayers. We have been honored so many times that we wanted you to know how much ot mean to us.
Which leads us to Flags a Flying for their donation of just the perfect flag, which was folded by our military Honor Guard and presented to Chaplain Wilby. Support Team member & USAF Honor Guard member Shannon Spencer wanted to make sure that the flag we presented to Wilby was more than the small 3x5 flag. She made the contacts at Flags a Flying, in Tacoma, and the result of some great community support is that a local unsung hero was honored honorably.
Thank you so much to Nissan of Fife for providing us with a wonderful Grand Prize! They generously donated a trip for two adults and two children to either Las Vegas, Cancun. or a Caribean cruise! A lot of business advertise that they support our troops and our community. Nissan of Fife proved it in their actions! Very nice! You added a special element to our after party, and the best part was that it was won, fair & square, by Mama Rose! Some things are meant to be.
Jim Officer, of 
Jensen Lee Bags, you are the man! Everybody loves our team bags ... Especially our team. We have used these bags for the past three years, and the bags have been put through the mill as our annual tour bags, our gear bags, our mascot bags, etc. They are great, and they allways make us look good. a cool side note, we are in discussins with Jensen Lee about making it possible for you to get official HeroToHero.US Team Bags right off their site. Stay tuned for this one. We're excited! And Jim, thank you for everything!
Thanks to Rod Heivelin -- Head Honcho of Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) Burn Foundation Firefighter Calendars. Always a favorite at the PackOut, are Rod and his crew of hot and hunky firefighters -- both male & female. Rod made sure that there was a "Gal Cal" in every box that was sent out to the troops. And his team brought lots of smiles with their calendars. There was a line to get calendars signed by these heroes. Thank you again to all, and make sure to support this worthy effort!
A blushing thank you to Lover's for their special romance donations. Lover's has recognized the need for a little romance for our returning heroes and their sweethearts. This year they donated lotions, candles, books, bubble bath, lingerie, and more. We split it all up and made Lover's baskets for prizes at the afterparty. It was a perfect blend and we want to thank them for their support.
Thank you to all of our local troop support programs who joined with us in a show of Community unity. We were honored to have representatives from the Fisher House, Aces, Operation Homefront, the Bridge People Regulars, and more. We need more events that bring great efforts such as these, together more often.
Thank you to AIM Mail Center in Lakewood for making sure we were taken care of as all of the boxes of shirts were arriving here. And for making sure that we have a great printing discount for all of our needs. This is a CenterForce.com program. Salute!
Another round of thanks goes to the 
Lakewood Post Office who has been our final stop after the PackOut. Their staff has been so supportive of our efforts, and go to above and beyond lengths to make sure we can get the boxes shipped in a professioanl and timely manner. They really feel like part of the team on that last day every year, and we thank them special thanks to Karren, 
who has been behind the counter for several of our shipments. She definitely earns her pay on those days!
**There are more, and I will add them when my brain clears! Feel free to send me reminders ... H2HHeroes@aol.com
Suffice it to say, we had a blast, and we've received messages from the attendees about how much fun they had. There were many hugs, and a lotta love and respect permeated every part of the day and night.
lj
~~ Tacoma Scots Pipe Band
~~ Snohomish County Firefighters Pipes & Drums
He is from Wrangell, and got a hat from your heroes! In this photo, he is representing for Benton County, Washington Firefighters, and sends special thanks to Don 
We might need to send more, they look mighty thirsty out there! Good thing Starbucks donated so much through the Coffee Drive, or as it read on one of their boxes ..."Operation 
Sounds great ... we're using that name for the coffee program!
How cool is that?!
<< In one of the pictures one of the Soldiers is actually holding a 30mm gun off the Apache. It would be our honor if you posted them on your site. Again from all of us Thank You."
Great to hear from you, guys! Thank you so much. If you have the chance, let us know where your shirts came from. We can read a couple of the departments, like Lincoln Fire Rescue, Gadsden Fire, Tacoma FD ... But you can bet there will be magnifying glasses checking out some of these logos.
We took all 20 boxes and laid out the clothing and let everyone stop by. 
Thanks again,
who are very proud of our t-shirts and are grateful to our fellow Americans who remember us way over here.
It was amazing. Rose couldn't believe her eyes! Tears welled up all around the armory, and applause brought it all together. Wolfpack, you rock!!!
There is 
Sparky
Officer Shilley out there with us would be enough for Puyallup PD to do for us, right? Nope, not this time! On top of everything else, their Association stepped up and provided a check to us for $500 to help with shipping! Class act, Puyallup! Thank you so much! We'll be stopping by to thank you personally. ( ;