Local troops stationed abroad soon will be able to enjoy a smoky taste from Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

Matt Allen, general manager of Burns Tobacconist at the Chattanooga Billiards Club off Jordan Drive, has assembled a care package of cigars from those Central American and other countries for area Marines in Afghanistan.

Some troops came into the tobacco shop just before shipping out Dec. 26, Mr. Allen said. They know to expect a care package from back home, but they might be surprised by how much it contains, he said.

“They think I’m sending them maybe a box of cigars,” he said. “I hope these guys get pretty fired up about this and that it helps them to relax and chill out or think about home. It’ll help them wind down the day, if there is such a thing over there.”

The package, valued at about $4,300, consists of 19 boxes — each containing 20-25 cigars — of several elite cigar brands, including Davidoff, Hoyo de Monterrey, Greycliff and Punch. In addition, Mr. Allen has included individually wrapped cigars and tins of cigarillos.

Mr. Allen said he plans to send packages several times a year.

The U.S. Department of Defense stopped including cigarettes in K- and C-rations, according to an article in an October 2005 issue of the trade publication Military Medicine. Cigars are not on the U.S. Postal Service’s list of items banned from being sent to troops.

Kim Dees, a retired lieutenant colonel who was deployed to Iraq’s Diyala province in 2004 with the National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, said gifts from the states are always welcome. For soldiers of the 278th, cigars were a weekly tradition, he said.

“All the officers would get together every Friday, from the commander on down,” said Mr. Dees, who noted that he is a nonsmoker. “They’d put on their Stetson hats and boots and smoke their big stogies.

“You’d kick back and talk about your week, joke and try to forget where you are,” he said.

Any reminder of home was welcome, even if some items were more welcome than others, he said.

“Socks weren’t real high on our list of things from home, but things to eat like cookies were,” Mr. Dees said. “You’re out in the middle of nowhere ... so it helps to know that someone back in the states cares about you.”

Although Mr. Allen never enlisted, his grandfather was a Marine, and many of his friends served with that branch. Sending over a few boxes of smokes is the least he could do to help, he said.

“Even if a lot of people don’t agree with why we’re over there, we’re supporting our own guys,” he said. “I think that’s what it’s all about, no matter what they do.”

TO HELP

Similar programs exist for enlisted cigar aficionados overseas:

* Until March 31, Thompson Cigar Co. is offering to send two cigars overseas for every online purchase of a special 10-pack for $20. Go to www.thomsponcigar.com

* About.com launched its “Cigars For Troops” program in April 2007. Go to http://cigars.about.com and click on “Cigars For Troops” under the topics section.

* Nick’s Cigar World, an online cigar retailer, has sent 89 shipments of cigars to troops since September 2004. Go to www.cigarsforourtroops.com.

SENDING PACKAGES

Here are some tips to make sure care packages to troops overseas arrive in good condition:

* Proper addressing requires the service member’s full name and rank, their Air/Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office address and the nine-digit ZIP code (if one is assigned).

* Remove batteries from electronic items and wrap them separately.

* Include a card describing the contents in case the package falls apart.

* Every country has customs regulations for incoming mail, so be aware that some items are prohibited by either the country or the military (in Iraq, no pork or pork byproducts, bulk shipments of non-Islamic religious materials, etc.). Check the Postal Service’s online rate calculator for specific restrictions.

* To receive a free “Mili-kit” containing shipping supplies designed for commonly shipped items, call (800) 610-8734.

Source: U.S. Postal Service

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