There’s one thing I’ve been passionate about long before beer came into my life. (Don’t worry; we’re still going to be talking beer here!)
I’ve always had a great love and respect for our nation’s military veterans. Both of my grandfathers were in the Navy, and at one point in my life, I actually entertained joining myself.
I grew up hearing my Pappy Wilson’s crazy stories of pranks he’d pull while aboard his destroyer. (He had some good ones! I think one involved lighting things on fire and dropping them in the ships’ trough-like toilets, so it would float down and light people’s butts on fire…) And I was (and still am) obsessed with anchors because I was always sorting through my pap’s extra naval uniform buttons. (I apparently was a simple child. It didn’t take much to entertain me!)
My other grandfather, my Pappy Jackson, was a man of few words. A Genesee from his fridge was the first beer I (accidentally) tasted. I always loved to write, and my pap got me into a patriotic speech/writing contest through his VFW post. I kept winning and having to present my speech over and over again, and it was great to spend time with my pap and the rest of those ass-kicking old vets!
And inevitably, I ended up marrying a Marine. With two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, I’m thankful to have him back and in the civilian world!
So what does all of this have to do with beer?
One day, while obsessively posting and checking out all things beer on Instagram, I came across a company called Bullets2Bandages when I saw an eye-catching image of a .50 caliber bullet bottle opener they had posted. They often posted images of Marine Corps inspired bottle openers, and one day, I decided to check out their website to see what this company was all about. I knew I needed one of these bottle openers for my husband! Because. Beer. And because. The Marine Corps.
I was fortunate enough to get to chat with the guys from Bullets2Bandages, and I found out that it was a company started in 2011 by two former officers in the Navy, Erik and Cole, who were looking for something to do when they got out.
They stumbled upon the idea of first making bullet necklaces when a 9mm round fell out of Erik’s gear and onto his dog tags. He posted a picture to Facebook and people wanted to know where they could get one. They had planned on only making a handful for what they thought would be a one-off fundraiser for a charity called the Travis Manion Foundation, honoring of one of their fallen friends who was killed in Iraq.
Things took off from there and Erik and Cole realized they had the makings of an actual business on their hands.
What I love about Bullets2Bandages is that their goal is to support veteran charities. They’ve donated at least 15% of their annual profits to veteran charities each year. In 2014, they actually donated more than 60%! Very badass.
They work a lot with the Travis Manion Foundation, and have donated thousands of medals for their 9/11 Heroes Runs. A full list of their charity partners is on their website.
Despite their start in jewelry, B2B now primarily makes bottle openers, and they’re made out of spent ammunition. And of course, they’re made in the good ol’ U.S.A. You can purchase openers as they exist on their website, or you can customize them.
They’re, of course, popular with military audiences. They get a lot of custom orders for Marine Corps Birthday Balls. And they’re pretty popular as groomsmen gifts, too.
And obviously, I had to ask the California-based Bullets2Bandages crew about some of their favorite beers and breweries. Modern Times made the “If I could only drink beer from one brewery for the rest of my life” list, and their Booming Rollers IPA was a favorite staple.
Stone’s “Enjoy By” IPA series and Black IPA series made the list, too. Other favorite breweries were Green Flash, Ballast Point, Council, Ironfire, Alpine, Knee Deep, Figueroa Mountain, and Firestone Walker. (Solid list, guys!)
All this talk about great CA beer is getting me excited for my annual Cali “beercation” in a little less than a month! (Yeah!)
There’s really not much I love more than beer. Our nation’s veterans are one of those few things I love more. I’m thankful that I grew up knowing some very inspiring veterans. And I’m extremely grateful for those veterans who are inspired enough to give back to fellow vets.
When I come across a veteran owned company that supports veterans charities AND has some badass beer geek things, what can get better than that?
webeerlongtogether.com 
Creatively cool!
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