front row –l-r: B.E.S.T. host Scott Mitchell of Richards of Greenwich; Francois Kwaku-Dongo, Executive Chef at l’escale Restaurant; Eilhys England Hackworth, SFTT Chair; Wendy Laurent, Pastry Chef at l'escale Restaurant; Shelly Tretter Lynch , B.E.S.T. Committee Chair; Middle row – l-r: Susie Quinn; Sheila May, owner of Therese Saint Clair stationers; Linda Levy; Guy Flichy; Top row: - l-r: Paul Warren, Darrah Gleason, Lin Tien, Mary Newcomb
Raising Awareness and Support to Protect the Front-Line Soldiers Who Are Protecting Us
SFTT Chair Eilhys England Hackworth, Scott Mitchell of Richards of Greenwich and Event Chair Shelly Tretter Lynch are hosting B.E.S.T., a cocktail reception to champion the Best Equipment to Support the Troops. It pays tribute to the late Col. David “Hack” Hackworth by raising funds to protect the troops ‘out at the tip of the spear’ that he loved and continues to fight for through his legacy foundation, SFTT.
B.E.S.T. will be held at Richards, 359 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich , from 6:30 PM to 9 PM on Friday May 9. While enjoying four-star cocktail fare, pastries and beverages, courtesy of l’escale Restaurant’s Executive Chef Francois Kwaku-Dongo, Pastry Chef Wendy Laurent, and Richards of Greenwich, guests can bid on an array of auction items and talk with B.E.S.T. special guests and honorary co-chairs. SFTT will also introduce and honor the 2008 recipient of the Support the Troops with More than Lip Service Award. Minimum donation is $250. To RSVP or receive information on SFTT and B.E.S.T., visit www.sftt.org or call 203-629-0288.
All of the proceeds from B.E.S.T. will be used to support the front line troops defending our freedoms by ensuring that they have the best available equipment – including body armor and helmet liners - to make it home alive and in one piece. The current Army-issue body armor and helmet liner are part of the Basic 5 personal combat essential gear that SFTT has identified as being sub-standard.
Honorary Event Co-Chairs are former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and former Greenwich First Selectman Jim Lash. Also confirmed are Fox broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera, Peabody-award winning producer/journalist and SFTT’s Defense Watch webzine editor Roger Charles, and Fathers for the Truth’s John Grant. Grant, father of an infantry soldier currently deployed to Iraq , and SFTT’s Charles were interviewed by Senior Investigative Correspondent Lisa Myers for the multi-part story that aired in May, 2007 on NBC Nightly News, Dateline, and MSNBC about inferior body armor and the Army’s flawed procurement and testing process. The NBC revelations triggered immediate calls by Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle for independent, third-party reviews of all Defense Department body armor procurement.
B.E.S.T. Committee members include Shelly Tretter Lynch (Chair), Helene Barre, Alice Christian, Barbara Daly, Kathalynn Davis, Edmond Duffy, Guy Flichy, Carolee Friedlander, Barclay Fryery, Darrah Gleason, Jen Goodwin, Martha Kelly, Debra Kusnetz, Linda Levy, Nan Levy, Patty Martin, Scott Mitchell, Mary Newcomb, Susie Quinn, Elsa Raskin, Lonnee Star, Ross Taylor, Lin Tien, Tyler Tinsworth and Paul Warren.
SFTT’s is a nonpartisan, apolitical, nonprofit foundation. Its unique educational and advocacy mission is to see that the Pentagon and our elected leaders in Washington get the right equipment, training and leadership for our US troops ‘at the tip of the spear,’ by giving a public voice to and providing a candid forum for America’s front-line forces.
