Veteran Capt Bob Meyer Donates to VALB
Capt. Meyer donates DVD players, DVDs, and books to VA Long Beach.
Last summer, Captain Bob Meyer arrived on the grounds of VA Long Beach with a generous shipment of donations. He rolled in with 5 DVD players and 400 assorted DVDs, CDs, and books. Many titles are well-known, up to recent movie release years. He personally checked each box to ensure that the items were appropriate and in good condition before sending them our way. He has made another greatly appreciated delivery since then.
But Capt. Meyer isn't donating from the storage boxes in his own home. He heads an organization called "A Bit of Home" which reaches out to our troops overseas. Partnering with CVS Pharmacy, he has created a way to provide aid to the men and women across the world who are still waiting to taste a bit of home.
"I know how important mail call is to a soldier," Capt. Meyer said. He was a part of WWII as a Glider pilot. He was one of 12 surviving (out of 6500), who made it during an airborne mission in Europe. He travels across the country to conduct lectures and seminars to troops and Veterans, sharing his wisdom and often providing useful insight as well as heartwarming comedy along the way. Capt. Meyer has given over 350 lectures.
He described his experiences of airborne missions, invasions of Germany, contacts with enemy troops, and the trying life of the military.
"I don't just talk about the blood and guts," he said. "I talk about the humor - the G.I. humor. Some of it is morbid - some of it is not."
Back to the beginning of his philanthropy in his operation "A Bit of Home"; the needs of his daughter-in-law as she was overseas that got him to set up the organization. She wrote home, calling him "Dad" as she expressed the difficulties in accessing feminine napkins while being deployed.
"If we do have [access to feminine napkins], we have to walk five miles for it and we have to cary our rifles in our packs," she wrote to him. After this, he and his son got together to put on donation drives with various rotary clubs, schools, and other organizations - this is all to provide our troops overseas with all of their personal necessities. It isn't just for feminine napkins, either. "We ask the troops to tell us what they want, and we send it to them. The CVS store has put us on their list." Capt. Meyer has also been organizing with local libraries and other locations, working with a whole network of donations in a tireless effort to help out. With a smile, Capt. Meyers noted, "I've served for 20 years, and I'll keep serving. I'll slow down when I get old."
