Lincoln Electric Aids Wounded Veterans With Welding Equipment Donation

The company recently donated welding equipment to a non-profit organization that adapts cars, trucks, motorcycles and off-road vehicles for ill, injured and combat-wounded service members and veterans.

CLEVELAND, OH — Lincoln Electric recently donated welding equipment to Warfighter Made, a non-profit organization that adapts cars, trucks, motorcycles and off-road vehicles for ill, injured and combat-wounded service members and veterans. The donated equipment, which includes a Precision TIG 375 Ready-Pak, a Tomahawk 625 Plasma Cutter, and a POWER MIG 256 MIG Welder One-Pak, will be used to modify and customize vehicles for use by service members injured in combat and veterans so that they can continue doing things they love.

Some of the service members and veterans that Warfighter Made supports have prosthetic arms and legs due to injuries sustained while fighting overseas, so their vehicles must be altered to meet their specific needs. Warfighter Made steps in and helps make this happen. The organization also invites injured service members and veterans to participate in the build of Warfighter Made projects. Some of the final pieces are eventually auctioned off with all proceeds going back to the Warfighter Made Project Fund.

Mickey Holmes, manager of Sports Marketing at Lincoln Electric, met two of the Warfighter Made co-founders, Brian Meyer and Robert Blanton, both retired United States Marines, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. They were looking for a welding partner for their charitable organization.

“Once Brian and Robert explained the organization’s goals to me, I knew that Lincoln Electric could assist with this wonderful outreach program,” Holmes said.

Lincoln Electric already has a long, established history with U.S. Armed Forces. For roughly six years, Lincoln Electric has participated in the U.S. Army’s Training With Industry (TWI) program, where an enlisted Army soldier reports to work at Lincoln Electric for one year. During this period, the soldier gains knowledge and skills to help advance welding practices in the military. The program has been so successful at Lincoln Electric that it was expanded in 2013 to include a warrant officer.

“Warfighter Made is just another way for Lincoln Electric to support our men and women in uniform,” Holmes says. “We are grateful to be able to give back to some of the brave service members who have sacrificed themselves to help protect our country.”

To learn more about Warfighter Made, go to their website: www.warfightermade.org, or Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WarfighterMade.

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