Feb. 11, 2010 - Fourth-generation cattleman Bill Broadie is on a mission and he's headed to Texas.
Broadie, a beef enthusiast and veteran of the war in Vietnam, has spent the last few years founding and operating the All American Beef Battalion -- an effort that combines his passion for American beef with his belief in the U.S. Armed Forces. The group, a non-profit organization, provides free American-raised steaks at meals for deploying, homecoming and injured military personnel and their families. Over the next two months, they will host three events in Texas.
"When we started, we had to look for something to do," recalled Broadie, 62. "Now, we get requests weekly, sometimes daily."
Broadie and his slew of volunteers travel across the United States providing free American beef steak dinners. He has a core group of volunteers that travel at his side, and is often joined by volunteers specific to the location his organization visits. Fortunately for Broadie, finding and keeping volunteers has been relatively easy. On the other hand, funding the meals has proved to be a challenge.
"Our biggest challenge is funding," he admitted. "Right now, we have requests to do a feed for 5,000 (people) and another for 6,000.
"Since April of 2008, we have served over 23,000 soldiers and family members in eight states. In December, last year, we had our largest feed and served over 1,500 at Fort Carson and in January, of this year, we had the privilege to serve a National Guard Company when they deployed and when they came home."
Broadie's group relies on donations to keep the steak feeds up and running. One hundred percent of every donation his group receives goes to support the troops. No one involved with the All American Beef Battalion receives a salary. They are all volunteers.
For Broadie, who devotes between 25 and 40 hours a week to the cause, the time and work are well worth it. He believes members of the Armed Forces deserve to be shown appreciation for their service to the country while at the same time promoting the beef industry that has been his family's livelihood for decades.
"The benefit to the soldier, besides being the best steak they ever had, is knowing that a large number of Americans care about them," he explained. "The benefit to the beef industry comes from several ways. We try to make this a family event and when they shop for groceries, I hope many of them remember this feed."
Connecting and serving troops is something Broadie is passionate about and while donations have slowed with the unsteady economy, the rancher and veteran still has high hopes for what his group stands to accomplish.
"We just want to continue with what we are doing and hope we can keep up with demand," said Broadie. "Our long term goal is to take our cookers to the war zone."
More information about the All American Beef Battalion is available at www.SteaksForTroops.com. Donations can be submitted via the website or by mail: All American Beef Battalion, P.O. Box 458, Ashland, Kansas, 67831.
