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TakePride in our Servicepeople

A man called Patrick Gray from Long Island in New York decided to create a company called TakePride that specialises in printed T-shirts that are based upon stories about servicemen and women’s stories in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many people forget that there are people involved in a war and that "It's weird that life goes on as usual for most of the country" said Patrick Gray. Over 3000 people have died in Iraq and many more have been injured. Gray has studied the Vietnam era and decided that he wanted to create something that young people could wear to show their support other than the yellow ribbon, which doesn’t really appeal to teenagers. Gray created the company TakePride with some friends, some of which have had experience within the military and the actual printed T-shirts are created by young designers and artists. All the shirts are designed to be appealing to young people.

Gray says "Each one is based on a different service member, because people can better understand the struggles of a larger group by understanding the struggles of an individual." The company’s website - www.takepride.com has a link to a site that tells the story of the service member who inspired Gray to create the shirt. Clapp says "They are really doing a great job by supporting our troops." The printed T-shirts are designed to support the men and women who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan but are not intended to be making a political statement. Gray is hoping to find a national retailer that will want to sell his t-shirts. Over twenty per cent of his profits are going to organizations that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.