"Suspended" dog tags, or gifts that support

09 October 2024

RBTNK was created, first and foremost, to support everyone working towards victory over a common enemy. So, for Defender's Day, we offered our community, along with our team, to "suspend" 150 dog tags — thus, 150 gifts were sent to the military for the holiday. In our first blog post, we share how this initiative came about and share feedback from the Defenders who received the gifts.

“The story of the 'suspended' dog tag began with a greeting to those I wanted to support the most — military personnel in rehabilitation, former prisoners of war, and those who currently need support and attention. All these people came to RBTNK's direct messages back when I was managing it myself, wanting to place an order, and I just gifted them. Every month, I gifted a different number of dog tags and received very cool feedback: joy, gratitude, and the understanding that we are in this together. I sincerely believe that this is important. As Skovoroda bequeathed us, 'when I want to be loved, I love first.' I really wanted others to feel this too, so I suggested our community join in and 'suspend' dog tags for the holiday on October 1.

For an entire week, all military personnel who reached out to us received gifts: some filled out a form, some wrote in direct messages, some placed orders on the website — and instead of payment, we sent a zero receipt. This way, we multiplied, multiplied, multiplied JOY.

Joy from the fact that people are passing gifts and warm messages to those who often feel cold and lonely (I know this not from hearsay). Thank you to everyone who joined and supported this cause. Below are the Defenders who received your gifts.”

Jordan, military medic, founder of RBTNK

The first 20 "suspended" dog tags went to veterans training with the "Iron Will" team who are currently preparing for the OceanMan competition. We visited them during their swimming training on October 1 and congratulated them on the holiday.

The "Iron Will" Foundation is engaged in the rehabilitation of military personnel after injuries, conducting swimming training for people with amputated limbs and other severe injuries in Kyiv and Lviv. Among the program participants are Oleksandr "Teren," Ihor "Yankee," Artem "Grot," and many others. Joining is completely free.

Another 58 dog tags were given to military medics who returned from the REPOWER rehabilitation program, which this time took place in Denmark. We met the participants at the train station and gifted them dog tags — it was a surprise for them.

The REPOWER Project focuses on restoring the mental health of military medics — this was already the tenth, anniversary session for Ukrainians. Their plan is to "save 100 heroes from severe psychological disorders every month."

The second half of the gifts — 72 dog tags — were sent to combat medics, stormtroopers, aerial reconnaissance officers, press officers, and many other Defenders across Ukraine. In response, they sent us photos and warm words, which we are happy to share with you. Everyone who "suspended" a dog tag could leave a personal greeting — we included them in envelopes with the dog tags in the form of postcards. So many thanks are personal — if you also "suspended" a dog tag, you can search the military's messages for your name.

From our side, we would like to add that doing this small but important project was very touching — we once again received confirmation that every, even small step of support and gratitude is important. And that this is how we can gradually shorten the distance between the rear and the front. Thank you to everyone who participated! You are awesome )

And one more important thing: after we gifted all the "suspended" dog tags, we continued to receive requests from those who wanted to "suspend" them and from military personnel who wanted to receive them.

So we decided to make "suspended" dog tags our permanent activity. Here, all Volunteers, Journalists, and Workers (rear) can unite to thank and support Defenders, Medics, and Rescuers (front). All details at the link, and to "suspend" a dog tag, click the button below.