Germantown man helps military members let people know they served

Scott Kreger has never served in the military. But the men and women who do inspired him to design a bumper sticker so they can tell others, "I served."

The free stickers, which are modeled after the popular black-and-white stickers that bear the abbreviated names of destinations -- such as OBX for Outer Banks and OC for Ocean City -- say "AFG I served" and "IRQ I served."

"The country code sticker is in style," said Kreger, 45, of Germantown. "I thought why not put the country code of Iraq and Afghanistan with a simple message -- 'I served' -- on a sticker?"

Kreger launched http://www.iservedsticker.org July 4 so those who were serving or had served in Iraq or Afghanistan could get the free stickers. Veterans need only submit a name, address and branch of the military, and a sticker will be sent to them, Kreger said.

He has sent more than 180,000 free stickers to people in the U.S. military and to coalition troops from other countries.

Kreger pays for the stickers and postage through donations from people and companies such as Lockheed Martin, which gave $10,000, said Kreger, who is a financial adviser with RBC Wealth Management in Rockville. Journey's Crossing Christian Church in Gaithersburg is a sponsor of iservedsticker.org.

The white oval stickers with black trim and lettering cost 4 cents each to manufacture. Kreger produces them with the help of Dick Kent, owner of Signet Screen Printing and Embroidery in Winchester, who makes the stickers and charges only the cost of printing.

"I called him up and said, 'If there is any way I can help, I will,' " said Kent, who heard about the Web site from his wife. Kent, 61, said he also wanted to help to honor his son, David, 24, a Marine who recently returned from Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Col. Michael Zapor, 45, of Germantown put a sticker on the back window of his Ford Explorer as soon as he got it Nov. 14, he said.

Zapor, a doctor who works at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington, said the stickers "are everywhere here at Walter Reed." He served as an emergency surgeon in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and will deploy to Afghanistan in February.

"I can't wait to get a sticker for that war, too," Zapor said. "This sticker represents camaraderie. The men and women who have served in the two wars see the stickers, and instantly it drums up conversation and a sense of pride that we served the country."

Mom4RMarines.org founder Patty Lewis said she is going to put a sticker in each of the 4,000 Christmas stockings she will send to Marines in Afghanistan.

Lewis, 54, of Philadelphia said she started the online support group for Marines in 2003 when her son, Brian, 24, deployed to Afghanistan. She wanted to keep the Marines' morale up by sending messages on the Web site and mailing Christmas stockings filled with candy, toiletries, cards and protein bars.

"I love what Scott's doing with the stickers," Lewis said. "It's such a small thing, but they mean so much to the guys."

Making the stickers is one of the most satisfying things Kreger said he has done. His next project is a sticker for Vietnam veterans, he said.

"I think it's a great idea," said Kent, who served in the Army in Vietnam. "There are a bunch of us who would love to have one of those."

Order a free "IRQ I Served" or an "AFG I Served" sticker at http://www.iservedsticker.org.