--- title: "Cigars for Warriors brings moments of luxury to deployed troops" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/cigars-for-warriors-brings-moments-of-luxury-to-deployed-troops/" categories: - "Military News" - "Veterans" --- # Cigars for Warriors brings moments of luxury to deployed troops ![]() Storm Bowen was wounded in combat in 2007, and he spent a long time in the hospital. And during that time he discovered the simple pleasure of smoking a cigar. At that point Cigars for Warriors was born. --- Cigars for Warriors is a nonprofit charity whose sole mission is to send premium cigars and accessories to the men and women of the U.S. military serving in combat zones, no matter where they are. Requests are made online, and each package comes with cigars, cutters, and literature. ![]() "I'm retired and I have a lot of free time on my hands," he says. "With cigars, there is so much to learn and experience and it's easy to get excited." Bowen has a lot to be excited about. While recovering from his injuries, he experienced cigar culture for the first time. His brother-in-law took him to get a cigar and share a smoke. He quickly became an aficionado. "If you've never smoked one before and try to pretend you can, it's the worst thing you can do," Bowen adds. "My first time, I went for the three dollar one, trying to save money, and it wasn't a good idea. You just don't enjoy it properly." True to this creed, there are no dog rockets in a Cigars for Warriors care package. Bowen and Cigars for Warriors will only send premium cigars to the troops abroad. Donations in cash defer the cost of purchasing new, high-quality tobacco or for shipping them overseas. Bowen estimates 98 percent of money collected goes to getting the cigars to the troops, while the remaining is used for promotion. "This really is a group effort," he explains. "When we first started in 2012, I tried to get a grip on a real number for how many we might be able to send that year. When I set it to 800, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. By the end of the year, we had shipped 92,000." ![]() Cigars are the number one item requested by deployed troops and Cigars for Warriors is happy to oblige. They use cigar and tobacconist shops as collection points and volunteers to manage the collecting. "There are many well-organized cigar clubs in combat zones," Bowen says. "All of us are volunteers and for something so small, it's having a much bigger impact than we expected. For a lot of these guys, it's like a slice of home." Some of the volunteers working with Bowen are recipients of cigars themselves. "It's special to these guys," Bowen remarks. "We get instant feedback in some cases. They send us photos we call 'stogie smiles.' That just fills your tank and gets you going for days." ![]() To learn more about, donate to, or request cigars from Cigars for Warriors visit https://cigarsforwarriors.org/ ### Now: New report shows vets more civic-minded than non-vets ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()