GILROY
– This Gilroy man may not be serving alongside the troops in
Iraq, but he has found his own unique way of showing support for
the soldiers and patriotism for his country.
GILROY – This Gilroy man may not be serving alongside the troops in Iraq, but he has found his own unique way of showing support for the soldiers and patriotism for his country.
Ray Hoyland has taken teddy bears dressed in uniforms and made them into “Freedom Bears.” These different bears come clothed in Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force clothes. The public can purchase one of the bears and dedicate it to a soldier serving in the armed forces. For Hoyland
this is a project that hits close to home.
“My son joined the Navy after 9/11, and I wanted a way to get involved,” Hoyland said. “You have the right to be against any war we have ever had, but you must always support the troops.”
Hoyland’s wife works at Diamond Plus Toys in Gilroy, and when Hoyland saw the uniformed bears being manufactured he came up with the idea for the dedication program. Hoyland sells the bears with dedication certificates for $19.95 on the program’s Web site, FreedomBears.com.
Once a bear has been purchased in honor of a soldier, Hoyland creates a certificate stating who purchased the bear and both when and where the soldier served. The soldier is sent a copy of the certificate informing them they have been dedicated one. The Web site lists all the names of people who have had bears dedicated to them.
“Being in a war zone you appreciate anything you get. You come home from a night of fighting, and you are so excited to see a care package,” said Eli Isaac, owner of Diamond Plus Toys, original manufacturer of the bears and a Vietnam veteran. “I think Ray had an excellent idea, and I think it is a wonderful thing that he is doing.”
Hoyland says the first bear he sold was to a girl who bought it for her boyfriend, a soldier, and her boyfriend’s mother.
“The young girl told me that when the mother received the bear she cried. That means more to me than anything in the world,” Hoyland said.
Hoyland has also decided to give the first 100 bears produced away to individuals who have performed beyond the call of duty. These specific bears are being called the “Liberty Bears.”
He has dedicated them to many of the soldiers killed in Iraq, leaders and brave men and women like David Bloom, John McCain, Jessica Lynch and George Bush. Hoyland says he has sent dedication certificates to all of them but has not yet gotten a response.
A couple of weeks ago Hoyland presented four of the Liberty bears to Gilroy city council members. Bob Dillon was honored with a Navy bear for his service in the United States Navy.
“This is extremely cool and a great idea,” Dillon said. “It’s always tough to be a soldier away from home, and I think as a soldier you would love to hear someone dedicated something to you.”
Mayor Tom Springer was given one in honor of his son, while Charlie Morales was given one in honor of his daughter. Roland Velasco received the Army uniformed bear for his four years of service.
“It is an honor to be acknowledged, for serving my country,” Velasco said. “I was surprised by it, and I am humbled at receiving it.”
Hoyland left four of the liberty bears with the council members to dedicate to specific people they feel deserve to be recognized and honored. Dillon says they hope to dedicate one to Justin Matsuhara, who is a Gilroy police officer on active duty.
One hundred and thirty-six bears have been purchased and given away in honor of the veterans. The bears also can be purchased at Discount Surplus, an Army and Navy goods store in Gilroy off Monterey Road. Hoyland also hopes to take $1.50 from each bear sold and add it toward a phone card program called “ET Phone Home.” This program will provide soldiers phone cards to phone their families and friends.
When asked how long the Freedom and Liberty bear program would continue Hoyland said, “I probably won’t ever stop, I think it is the right thing to be doing.”
