Military Connection
Bill Lenzer has always considered himself a patriotic American. Both sets of his grandparents served in World War II and he has had many aunts and uncles serve. He considered joining the military, as well, but was considered medically ineligible due to injuries sustained in a car accident when he was 18. When terrorists attacked September 11, 2001, on American soil, Lenzer knew he wanted to do all he could to help support our troops.
He began working closely with the nonprofit organization Any Soldier, which connects donors with active-duty military members. This group helps people who want to help our troops but don’t know a soldier, where to start or what to send. Many military members enjoy jerky as a high protein, easy to travel with snack, so Lenzer offered discounts to people who were sending their purchases overseas to members of the military.
The idea caught on and during a turning point in the Iraq War in April 2004, the second battle of Fallujah, Lenzer made sure every Marine surrounding Fallujah had a bag of Big John’s Beef Jerky. As thanks, troops flew a flag in Lenzer’s honor at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, on June 15, 2005.
It’s Lenzer’s most prized possession.
Lenzer offers military discounts and a portion of the proceeds from all sales goes towards sending active-duty military members Big John’s Beef Jerky.
