Soldiers Express Appreciation for Tribeca's Stogies

In return for providing creature comforts from home, the staff and customers of Tribeca Cigar Co. received an immense honor: An American flag that had flown over a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan.

Tribeca’s Stogies for Soldiers program had provided several shipments of cigars to men on the base. “It’s a piece of home, a good taste of home,” said Kevin Kotz, one of the owners of Tribeca.

Sending soldiers cigars from Tribeca had been ongoing for as far back as anyone can remember. “We have a donation box, so customers can throw change in,” Kotz said, adding that the store matches the amount collected, and sends packages of cigars every several months.

The recipients are often former customers of Tribeca who have been called to duty. Captain Tom Durkin and his team have been the most recent beneficiaries. “He came last in last year and bought some cigars and things like that. We got to talking. He had his uniform on,” Kotz said.

He took Durkin’s contact information, and since then, has made sure the captain and his team are well stocked with stogies. Earlier this year, Durkin surprised Tribeca by sending the flag with a certificate of authenticity. The flag has been framed and hung prominently in Tribeca’s lounge.

In a letter accompanying the flag, Captain Durkin wrote:

“I just wanted to write and thank you for the cigars you sent out this way. The cigars are a great smoke and they help add a little normalcy to the day-to-day activity here. All of us on this side of the world are appreciative of your support and patriotism…Just to give you an idea of what we do out here, the team I refer to is the forward surgical team that I am part of. Our job here is to provide medical treatment to casualties as they are evacuated from the point of injury (i.e. firefight, IED blast, etc.) Once we stabilize those casualties, they are then moved on to a larger medical facility or back to the U.S. again…”

Durkin added that the flag had been flown over their base on January 25, 2011.

Hans Reiker, a frequent customer of Tribeca and a donor to the fund, recalled receiving the flag. “It was touching. It was touching,” he said. “It blew me away. We were so honored.”

Shortly after receiving the flag, Reiker noticed a car driving past the shop. “There were two Army guys inside. I waved them down and told them about the flag. They were on their way to a meeting, but that night, they came back, walked in here, and stood in front of the flag with their mouths open. Then we bought them some cigars and they sat down and smoked.”

Kotz said Durkin’s family has come in to see the flag and take pictures.

Many of Tribeca’s staff and customers also have ties to the military. His brother and co-owner Ken Kotz and employee Mike Geiter are both Viet Nam veterans. “We know that these guys deserve something special,” Kotz said.

Durkin is due for leave pretty soon. “I hope he’ll come in and have a cigar,” Kotz said.