Donation will light up holidays for overseas troops

Gary Hyde, the Canadian importer of Zippo lighters, commissioned a special issue of the refillable lighters with the military's Task Force Afghanistan crest on it.

"We did this for our troops as our contribution," said Hyde, the owner of Hyde's Distribution, a wholesaling company in Niagara Falls.

He got the idea after reading a comment a soldier from British Columbia made to a reporter about adjusting to life in Afghanistan.

In March, the Toronto Star referred to Pte. Daniel Hodas, a 25-year-old Canadian soldier. The paper ran a full section called War, Canadian Style. It described what it was like for Canadian soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.

In one story, a soldier said he wore a crucifix for good luck, but Hodas said he had carried a Zippo lighter his grandfather had given him. His grandfather had carried it with him when he served in the Korean War, the news report said.

Reading that prompted Hyde to send 2,500 of the special lighters to Canada's troops as good luck charms.

"We ran a special lighter for them with the Afghanistan crest," Hyde said.

Task Force Afghanistan, the name of the mission for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, is printed on the lighter, along with the mission crest. The crest includes the flags of Canada and Afghanistan and the symbol of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Zippo made 2,500 of them with a black casing. That's roughly equal to the number of Canadians who are in Afghanistan now.

"They're on their way to Afghanistan for the troops. For Christmas," Hyde said.

But the timing is a bit of a coincidence. It took a while for the military to clear the unique donation.

"We started in March. We didn't get approval until September."

Hyde's company is the Canadian importer of Zippo lighters, which are made in Bradford, Penn. Niagara Falls had a long association with Zippo because the company operated a branch plant in this city from 1949 to 2002.

The popularity of the lighters among American soldiers in the Second World War has been credited with the launching the company's post-war success, according to Zippo's corporate history.

A military source confirmed the lighters have been received and are waiting to be shipped out. It's common for Canadians to give gifts to soldiers, but usually in the form of care packages that have toiletries or special snacks.

"We're seeing an increase of Canadians showing generosity to the troops, especially as we approach Christmas time," said Jim Peverley, a director of the Canadian Personnel Support Agency. "However, our soldiers will not be wanting for items from home this Christmas."

Zippo made more lighters with the military crest, but with a silver metallic finish. They will be for sale on Canadian Forces bases and to the public, Hyde said, adding the retail price would be around $39.

In the future, having a black Task Force Afghanistan lighter will be a pretty good indication the owner is a Canadian veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2006, Hyde said.

Giving soldiers a lighter doesn't condone cigarette-smoking, Hyde said. Zippo boasts its lighters are weatherproof, which is why they're popular among fishermen, hunters and campers, Hyde said.

"No. 1: It's a keepsake for the guys ... This is a keepsake for your service in that war."

There were 7,000 lighters listed on the eBay Internet auction site Wednesday. Many were about US$30, but special-edition lighters commemorating American wars were priced between $50 and $100. Rare lighters can go for hundreds of dollars at collectors' shows, Hyde said.

(Zippo article courtesy niagarafallsreview.ca Monday, December 04, 2006)

View special issue "Task Force Afghanistan" Zippo lighters

Donation will light up holidays for overseas troops