Elk Grove man sponsors giant pizza party for soldiers
The 110-degree temperatures did little to deter nearly 80,000 soldiers from digging into their deep-dish pizzas on the Fourth of July.
A total of 28,000 Uno Chicago Grill pizzas where shipped to troops overseas as part of Operation Pizza Surge, the latest and greatest endeavor by Pizzas 4 Patriots.
Mark Evans, an Elk Grove Village resident and retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant, started the nonprofit organization last year.
"This is just a tiny way to thank our soldiers for keeping us safe," Evans said. "Deep-dish pizza is an American icon, and I can't think of a better thing to eat on our nation's birthday."
The journey of 71,000 pounds of pizza and dry ice began on June 26 at JFK Airport in New York City. A 747 flew the cargo to Bahrain, where the pizzas - kept at a temperature of 1 below zero, were then rerouted to nine bases in Iraq and Afghanistan via 19 different flights and various military convoys.
Evans hoped to join in the fun, but a series of sandstorms kept him grounded in Bahrain. Luckily, his favorite pies got to their destinations without a hiccup. He received appreciative thank-yous within hours.
"It was absolutely wonderful to get a little taste of home on this holiday," U.S. Army Capt. Michael Stephens wrote in an e-mail. "What you are doing is a great thing and I know that more soldiers than just us really appreciate it!"
Ethan Mattern, DHL Express' director of business development for government and military, served as the operation's logistical mastermind. He said the pizzas were integrated into regular shipments to minimize costs.
The Guinness Book of Records planned on documenting the event as the world's largest pizza party. The previous record was 13,000 pizzas.
In addition to the pizza, troops enjoyed Independence Day celebrations featuring hamburgers, hot dogs and military personnel rock bands. Mattern said Roman candles and cherry bombs were a no-go because of the resemblance to one of the military's defensive tools, so movie screens showed fireworks displays. Evans had hoped to serve beer but said the military bans alcohol in combat zones.
In its first year, Pizzas 4 Patriots delivered about 2,000 pizzas at the Fourth of July and another 2,000 for the Super Bowl. Evans has no plans to scale back on the next shipment.
"Something like this can really boost morale," he said. "They need to know how much the American people appreciate them."
To make a donation or learn more about Pizzas 4 Patriots, go to pizzas4patriots.com.