The Front Lines of Caring

TroopsDirect.org is the vision made reality of Aaron Negherbon, a Danville resident of 20 years. His answering of the call to support our Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan has been heralded by military leaders, corporations and the public alike as truly unprecedented.

We asked Aaron about TroopsDirect.org and its origins. “It began when one of my long time friends, fellow USC Trojan and Marine Corps Captain deployed to Afghanistan. Through the years, I have seen him off on multiple tours to Iraq and other theatres across the globe. What started off as a basic albeit 45 pound care package to my buddy resulted in his email of thanks that not only expressed his gratitude but also his intent to share the contents of my package with the other 200 Marines under his command.”

Unsure as to why his friend was distributing his supplies to his men in the field, Aaron did some digging and the news that he received from returning soldiers was shocking. “I was shocked to learn that soldiers are not provided with the necessary basic supplies such as body wash, toothpaste, energy drink powder (and much more) to keep them healthy and effective on the front lines. I had always thought that our military provided everything to our soldiers. It was then that I decided that I was going to change that.” Aaron does this not by serving the individual soldier but rather entire the Company or Battalion exclusively. For the uninitiated, that’s upwards of one thousand soldiers that TroopsDirect supplies at a time.

So Negherbon’s quest began with the goal of giving the Marines and the other branches of service anything and everything he could possibly muster. Negherbon reached out not only to friends and neighbors but also to the corporate contacts he had made through his 15 years as a business executive. In a matter of days, support for his mission was received with the energy of a tsunami, and TroopsDirect was born.

A look into Aaron Negherbon’s operation proves that TroopsDirect lives up to its tagline of ‘Support, Supply, Logistics’. “We communicate directly and only with Company Commanders at the smaller and more remote FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) on a daily basis. It’s often around midnight our time that I’ll log in to our email servers and receive updates on needed items and to confirm delivery of outbound parcels. We ask that the Captains plan their requests two to three weeks in advance to allow for transit times. We then prioritize items based on need. For example, where 200 units foot powder, 500 pairs of socks or 4,000 servings of Gatorade might go out on one of our normal weekly shipments, urgent items such as first aid items will go out as quick as the same day.”

“First aid items?” we asked. Negherbon recounted an urgent dispatch he received one night in July from a Medic serving in Afghanistan. “He sent me an email explaining that his unit was in a firefight that day which resulted in his stethoscopes being damaged and his supply of gauze, hydrocortisone and other items being severely depleted. The Medic continued to explain that military supply lines couldn’t guarantee an immediate resupply so he was reaching out to TroopsDirect. We started building a priority load out that evening which included everything the medic requested and then some. I later found out that our shipment arrived two weeks before the military supply lines delivered the same items.”

Aaron continued to explain how TroopsDirect functions. “I’ve established many trusted relationships and carry accounts with commonly needed suppliers. They arrange a rush delivery of the requested items by the pallet load directly to my home where we pack it, assign it our proprietary tracking code to ensure delivery and then the USPS truck comes by weekly to pick it up. We’ve done our research and with the exception of sending our packages directly via military cargo planes, the Postal Service is the fastest way to ship.” And TroopsDirect most certainly does ship. In only three and a half months a single Battalion received over one and one half tons of needed support with the average 24”x24” box weighing in at over fifty pounds.

How does TroopsDirect amass such a supply for our soldiers? “We rely solely on the financial and ‘in-kind’ support of individuals and corporations. I am on the phone constantly with Gatorade, Danner Boot Company, CVS Pharmacy and others, enlisting their support with merchandise. Furthermore, I receive calls and emails from individuals asking how they can help. I tell them to check out the TroopsDirect.org site for the most updated needs list. We have an exclusive relationship with U.S. Bank where people can go online and donate as well. We had one local gentleman donate $5,000.00 to us recently which was a blessing, but went all too fast. Every penny goes to serving our soldiers and TroopsDirect is a registered 501(c)(3).”

So what does Aaron get out of this endeavor? “Nothing but knowing I’m doing my part to help our soldiers. It makes it all worthwhile when I receive a message of thanks from a soldier’s parent who heard about what we do, or a correspondence from a Colonel that states that TroopsDirect’s efforts are singlehandedly changing the manner in which his men are able to operate on the front lines of battle. In the end it boils down to this: If that one energy bar we provided makes a Marine Corporal more alert as he faces a threat or the sprinkle of our foot powder in the boots of an Army Private makes him run that much faster, then we are also increasing the likelihood that he will safely return home to his friends, family and especially his parents.”

Contact TroopsDirect via support@troopsdirect.org or at 877-97-TROOPS.