Newark Deli Sends 'Little Bit of Home' to Soldiers in Iraq

New Jersey, New York

Brothers Marc and Michael Brummer figure the best way to support the troops in Iraq is to feed them.

The co-owners of Hobby's Delicatessen and Restaurant in Newark, N.J., recently shipped 2,000 salamis to the Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division, serving in Tikrit, as part of "Operation Salami Drop."

The effort is the brothers' way of bringing a "little bit of home" to troops in Iraq, they said.

And they were preparing another 7,000 salamis for shipment late last month. The dried meat is ideal for the long journey overseas because it can last indefinitely.

The salamis cost $10 and are purchased with donations. One came from a 13-year-old girl who chipped in $ 1,000 of her bat mitzvah money, Marc said.

"While our slogan is One Salami at a Time,' we've received many checks for hundreds of dollars and even one for $7,500," Michael said. "That one took our breath away a little bit."

One hundred percent of all donations go to purchase the salami at cost, the Brummers said.

Inspiration for the effort came, in part, from the brother's 82-year-old father, Sam, who landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day. While serving in France during World War II, Sam often received salami from home.

"It was a great morale booster to get a piece of home every month and know that people cared," Sam said.

Another point of inspiration was Michael's college friend, Michael Rothman, a New York Army Guard legal officer deployed with the 42nd to Iraq.

The 42nd is normally stationed in Troy, N.Y. In Iraq, the division commands a mix of active-component and Guard soldiers from several states.

"When we began this project, I had hoped we could cobble together enough support to send about 1,000 salamis to the troops in Iraq," Michael Brummer said. "Now, our goal is to send 23,000 salamis to Iraq, one for each soldier in the 42nd."

-By Steven Donald Smith

Copyright National Guard Association of the United States Jun 2005
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