A Salute to Our Veterans

At Forest 2 Home, we believe it is important to honor the men and women who chose to dedicate their lives to protecting our beautiful country and all of its people. To honor those brave men and women on this special day, we took some time to chat with one of our Veteran community members, Terry Stinson, who is a retired Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer. Terry recently completed a hat box build for a fellow servicemember using Forest 2 Home hardwood. He also has shared what Veterans Day means to him. Read Terry’s story below.

On September 11, 2001, our Nation was attacked, and on that fateful day, I was a Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class in the U.S. Coast Guard. Although I was on leave at my parent’s home, I was immediately recalled to my duty station in Bellingham, Washington.

Upon arrival at my station, I was tasked with training a group of freshly minted Coasties direct to us from Basic Training in Cape May, New Jersey. These Coast Guard men and women I served with would become the line in the sand here and overseas. They would become the face and frontline of maritime homeland security around the globe.

One of these new Coast Guard members was a young lady from Southern California. She was an absolute ball of fire and she would inevitably deploy to the Middle East as the combat medic for her maritime combat unit.

Fast forward 19 years, and we are here now, and I’m proud to say that young lady is still without a doubt, an absolute ball of fire, and now a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.

To say that I am proud of her perseverance, her service, and her family would be an understatement. Several weeks ago, this Chief asked me to make a hat box for her. She asked ME, a mentor from nearly two decades earlier. As a retired Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer, I was absolutely honored to build such a thing for such an amazing servicemember and friend especially when a Chief’s hat box is to protect and display the Chief’s hat and what it stands for.

Sylvia, thank you for the honor of continuing to be part of your Coast Guard story.

- Terry Stinson

Terry owns Puddle Pirate Projects, which specializes in handmade wood creations including American flags, cutting and charcuterie boards, decorative signs, and other specialty made-to-order items. At Puddle Pirate Projects, patriotism and craftsmanship collide to bring a unique array of designs, each handmade in the Pacific Northwest by founder, artisan woodworker, and proud Veteran: Terry Stinson.

Check out the amazing hat box created by Terry below and feel free to follow along with his journey at @PuddlePirateProjects.

If you are or have been a United States service member, Forest 2 Home is proud to invite you to join our Military and Veteran Program, which is open to all active, reservist, veteran, and retired US military personnel. Our program includes exclusive discounts and ongoing incentives. To join and receive the full program details, please fill out the verification form using this link HERE and we will be in touch as soon as your status is verified. 🇺🇸

On behalf of the entire Forest 2 Home family, thank you to all of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for our country, and Happy Veterans Day.