Random Thoughts From Marybeth

Proud of Our Troops

TakePride was founded by a group of friends who wanted to start a business and at the same time, try to do some good. Some of us have military experience, others don't but we all share the common belief that the more difficult the mission facing our military, the more deserving they are of our thanks and support. We feared, however, that to some extent, the opposite might be happening: That because of the duration of the conflicts, distressing news of casualties and frustratingly slow progress (especially in the case of Iraq) that some Americans were beginning to tune away from the story.

Our two goals were to help people re-connect to the experiences of those serving overseas and to create a symbol of support that people, especially younger Americans genuinely enjoyed putting on. T-shirts, we hope, allowed us to accomplish both. Each shirt design provides a glimpse into the life of a different US Service member who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Although we really admire the individuals we profile they are not in our eyes greater heroes than others. We think most everyone over there is a hero these just happened to be the people we knew or contacted and are meant to give a human face and be representative for all the Americans currently serving in war zones.

At least 20% of the profits are donated to charities. Current charities include: Disabled American Veterans, Wounded Warriors, Fisher Houses, The USO, and Any Soldier.

T-shirts are $20 to $22 each and payment may be made by credit card or through PayPal.