They Serve Up Steaks For Troops

They Serve Up Steaks For Troops AG WORLD The best cut of beef for the best of the best That’s the philosophy of the All American Beef Battalion AABB which has served more than 100 000 rib eye steak dinners to U S military troops and their families since 2008 The idea for the 501 c nonprofit organization was cooked up by Bill Broadie a fourth generation cattleman and Vietnam Marine veteran who earned two Purple Hearts – one for losing a leg His generation of soldiers returned home to hostile attitudes He wanted a better welcome for this generation of soldiers to show them that America cares and its citizens are grateful The Kansas cattleman decided a simple way to do that was to feed them a good meal “We don’t consider this a charity ” says Jon Fort senior vice chair with the AABB “We consider ourselves just good Americans ” He and other volunteers have stoked up smokers on 122-degree days and traveled through 17 in of snow to serve service men and women a steak dinner before they deployed to Iraq The volunteer cooks have also been there to welcome troops back home and for other special family events Altogether they have served meals in 21 states to groups of 110 to 5 000 people “We have been surprised that some people have never had a good quality rib eye steak ” Fort says adding that the meals are also a way to promote beef “We use plastic forks and knives and it amazes people how tender the steaks are ” Volunteers cook as many as 640 steaks at a time in large Southern Pride rotisserie smokers The 1 to 1 1/2-in thick aged steaks are coated with a dry rub and hickory smoked Hot steaks are packed in special coolers where they continue to cook and stay warm until they are served with cheesy hash browns corn and rolls Early on Broadie teamed up with members of the cattle industry local bankers and state senators President George Bush endorsed the idea and the group earned 501 c status in record time Individual donations keep the group going Some donate rib eye steaks; others like one 4-H’er donate the money they earn from selling cattle One Charolais heifer at an Oklahoma sale barn was auctioned and resold several times to raise $26 000 for AABB Others donate their time such as college students who pitch in when volunteers are needed Other than mileage and room reimbursement none of the volunteers are paid Fort says To be more efficient and keep travel costs down AABB would like to work with groups in other parts of the country to provide the meals locally They currently have groups in Kansas and Texas Fort invites anyone interested in donating to the organization or starting a group to contact AABB Cooking a meal – even when it’s more than 100 degrees – is a small sacrifice compared to what the soldiers endure Fort says Volunteers continue to do it because they can shake the hands of soldiers and witness their gratitude for a good meal and citizens who care about them Contact: FARM SHOW Followup All American Beef Battalion P O Box 458 Ashland Kan 67831 ph 620 635-0544; www steaksfortroops com

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