Supply Crate – Ben

Ben requested a Supply Crate after hearing about Stack Up as he wanted a console to give himself a break in his downtime.

Good evening, --- I just heard about this program from a buddy I served with on Active Duty back in 2005-2008 when I was a kid. I was a 19D with the 82nd Airborne Division and did one tour in Afghanistan for 15 months during the surge, Jan 2007-Apri 2008. It was rough, real rough but we got through it. I do not know if programs like this existed then but between missions, QRF, tower guard or sleep we did have an old Play Station in 2007 with Guitar Hero. This game and others helped us relax and truly release some stress when not in the homemade ghetto gym that was outside in Eastern Afghanistan. I have played video games pretty regularly since 2007 because of those experiences with the brothers. I can appreciate the mindless fun that can distract you from the stresses of life but also bring people together. Just like in 2007, people will come over now to play games or I will go see my friends at their places and get some gaming on. This similar interest creates bonds and allows for fellowship between us. I do not have a new system and that is okay, but this may help extend my sphere of influence. After Active duty Army I went in the National Guard in Michigan. I have held a couple MOS and went to OCS after being in for 15 years. I can say after being around different groups of people it is nice to have a place to retreat to and play some video games. I can also attest to how a gaming system brought us together in a deployment to Romania as well. Sometimes as I am sure you are all aware there is extreme boredom in the military with certain occupations. Gaming is the tourniquet on that arterial bleed. Overall, I cannot say that I am the most deserving person as I have made mistakes in life and also struggle with some of my past issues but I do believe this would help me and my neighbors/friends with a way to co-exist and have fun together. It would also allow me the opportunity to do something fun alone, which I am coming to value more and more. Thank you for your time and consideration. --- --- Respectfully submitted, --- --- Ben

Thanks for putting in a Supply Crate request, Ben! As Ben outlined in his request, gaming has long helped him in connecting with his fellow servicemembers and been a hobby he could always enjoy after long hours in the Military.

After receiving his crate he sent us a nice thank you letter;

“ColDeath137” and Stack Up,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this gift. I feel very undeserving, but I am so appreciative of your extremely generous gift. This Xbox Series X system will serve me for many, many years.

I have struggled with various components of my mental and physical health post active duty and was lucky enough to find the gym/lifting. That serves its purpose, but I was always missing something that just brought me peace. An arena where I could disengage from my thoughts and focus on something fun. I have played video games over the years, even in Afghanistan in 2007. The time was extremely limited due to op tempo, but we had a Guitar Hero game that really brought us together in a healthy competitive way. I find this to still be true even though it’s many years later. I serve the community as a Firefighter now, and gaming systems help us too. It all serves the same purpose while also bringing people together.

I am so grateful to the Stack Up organization for having put this together. You are all positively changing and improving the lives of service members. To the donors, specifically ColDeath137, thank you, thank you so much for this.

Eternally grateful,

Ben Ingersoll

Ben originally requested a Supply Crate while on Active Duty and it sounds like once he got out of the Military he needed a little something else to help him out. We're glad we could offer up a console so he can play it in his down time as he settles into civilian life.

ColDeath137 sponsored Ben's Supply Crate. ColDeath137 served in the US Marine Corps and is a big fan of football and competitive gaming. He hasn't been active in a minute, but his Twitch channel can be found here.

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