Our customer's stories...
A little help from a friend.
My story of Zoom Wine in the Middle East happened just last year, when I was deployed there for the second time in the last three years. I'm actually a Seabee in the Navy and have not been stationed aboard a ship, of any kind, for my entire career. As a Seabee, I build things for the Navy and that's what I was deployed to the Middle East to do.
I was the Operations Chief for a Special Operations Task Force, working out of a camp in the Middle East. When I was sent there, in April, I was scheduled to return in mid-October. Unfortunately, when the unit that was suppose to relieve us got hit with hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, MS, we were told we were going to be held there until our relieving unit had time to recover from the hurricane damage.
When I called my wife to give her the bad news (with the extension we were going to miss our first anniversary and my 41st birthday) she immediately asked what she could do to help support me. With bombs/mortars/rockets dropping into my compound every other day, I was more than ready to go home and enjoy my favorite Zin - ZOOM. Although there was a possibility of getting in trouble when the wine came through Customs, my wife packed a box, took a chance and sent it off. Labeling it shampoo on the customs form, it made it through!
When the box arrived, I had a good idea of what it was. So, I found a private spot and opened the best package I ever received in a war zone - a bottle of ZOOM. Although it was only one bottle, it was one of the best. I found one of my fellow Chiefs and we went and shared the nectar of the Gods. Thanks for making such a good bottle of wine. I look forward to ordering more this year.
– MICHAEL P DYER
CUCM(SCW), USN