A little over two years ago, a group was created on Cigar Box Nation called CBGs for Service Members. Its purpose was to honor and show appreciation to United States military members, and service members from other countries, by providing them with a hand crafted cigar box instrument. Service members register on Cigar Box Nation, and then start a thread in the CBGS for Service Members group. A builder replies to that thread, corresponds with the service member, and donates the instrument to them as a way of saying thanks for the sacrifice and dedication of military members.

Along the way we have lost count of exactly how many servicemembers have received CBGs through this program, but to date, builders in this group have donated between 75-100 cigar box instruments to service members from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, and shipped them to Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, and elsewhere. The response from the service members has been great! Having an instrument while deployed gives them a way to pass the time, and we have received countless pictures of smiling military folks with their instruments. There are reportedly many cigar smoking, picking, and grinning sessions taking place at military bases all over the world.

If you are a builder of cigar box instruments, and would like to show your appreciation for military service members, we would love to have you join our group. Either visit the group page or contact Dan Sleep for more information!