Connie Swartz has found the perfect way to honor servicemen and servicewomen on Memorial Day through her creative non-profit, Celebrate Fatigues.
As she and her family got ready for their 10th move to the Northland, she realized that her husband’s military uniforms from the time he served in the Army, were no longer needed, but she needed a respectful and dignified way to dispose of them rather than them ending up in a landfill.
The concern lead to her idea for keeping her husband’s uniforms a presence in the world by turning them into useful and lasting items that honor the history, the struggle and the sacrifice of those who wore them during their service to the United States.
Connie Swartz started Celebrate Fatigues to honor military servicemen and servicewomen. Popular products include tote bags.
“I began Celebrate Fatigues in January 2019 by turning my dining room into Celebrate Fatigues headquarters,” Swartz said. “Celebrate Fatigues quickly grew out of my house. We now have space in the Parkville Commercial Underground caves.”
The fatigues are recycled into artful accessories and all proceeds go back into the nonprofit in order to produce more items. This includes paying some of the veterans who help the non-profit deconstruct fatigues as well as some who sew. Celebrate Fatigues goal is to eventually be able to support other nonprofits who serve military familie””
“Currently, we wash the uniforms at home before turning them over to veterans, such as those at St. Michaels Veterans Home in Kansas City, Mo., to deconstruct,” Swartz said. “Celebrate Fatigues is looking for VFW posts who would be interested in getting together to deconstruct uniforms. During deconstruction, any names or earned insignia are removed from the uniforms and are never incorporated into Celebrate Fatigues items. Those were earned by the person who wore the uniform and the right to wear them belongs exclusively to them.”
Memorial Day is a perfect time to consider donating retired fatigues or making a monetary donation to Celebrate Fatigues to honor the service and sacrifice of our military.
“On Memorial Day, if you have inherited uniforms, this is a good time to think about how that veteran would want their uniforms treated with dignity and respect,” Swartz said.”
“Surviving family members of veterans have expressed relief and gratitude at finding an honorable and dignified way to handle inherited uniforms. If you have inherited a loved one’s fatigues and don’t know what to do with them, this is a good time to consider donating them to Celebrate Fatigues.”
Every part of the uniform is saved and used, including the fabric, pockets, belt loops, velcro, jacket cuffs, buttons, ribbons, and drawstrings. Swartz and her production manager, Phyllis Carlyle sort and bundle appropriate pieces with a pattern and then take them to The Sewing Labs to be cut and sewn.
The Sewing Labs is a Kansas City, Mo. nonprofit thatteaches sewing for employment, entrepreneurship, and enrichment. Swartz and Carlyle are also seeking experienced high-quality sewers to complete items.
The most popular selling items are book bags, totes, crossbody bags and daypacks. Dog kerchiefs are also very popular and available for all sizes of dogs.
Hair scrunchies, luggage tags, eyeglass cases and tissue covers are also made from the uniforms.
There are 17.4 million veterans across the U.S. and every year another 200,000 people separate from the service. They each own approximately five fatigues, so about a million uniforms are disposed of annually. Along with the retired fatigues of active military, some 2 to 3 million uniforms per year go into storage, the landfill, or resale shops.
“We could potentially repurpose millions of fatigues,” Swartz said. “This could prevent huge numbers of uniforms from entering our landfills while giving them a second life, treating them with dignity and respect, and honoring the courage, sacrifice and struggles of those who wore them. Many veterans tell us that they are grateful for an opportunity to give their fatigues a second life.”
Family members, friends, and others who inherit uniforms often are at a loss as to what to do with them. They tell Swartz that discovering Celebrate Fatigues allows them to keep their loved ones’ memories alive while honoring their loved one’s service and sacrifice. Surviving children of veterans and military members who have passed away have expressed relief at finding an honorable and dignified way to handle inherited uniforms. “It’s a weight off their soldiers,” Swartz says.
“We receive notes from many of the donors,” Swartz said. “One soldier’s daughter wrote: ‘Thank you for remembering those who have served this great country and preserved our right to freedom. In loving memory.’”
Swartz said the people who buy items made from the uniforms show appreciation and respect for those who served and connect to those who wore them.
“This isn’t camo fabric,” Swartz said. “This is the actual fatigue fabric worn by someone who served and sacrificed. Veterans who see fatigues recycled into our products realize their service is not forgotten but rather displayed as a sign of appreciation for our active military and veterans. Veterans tell us that they appreciate their uniforms getting a second life.”
The items made from fatigues are meaningful gifts for veterans, their family members, and the family members of active military, and make an especially meaningful gift for Father’s Day, Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day.
A number of items are purchased by, or for, the parents and spouses of service members as a way for them to display their pride in, and respect for, their family members who serve.
Each item comes with an explanation of how it was made from military fatigues in honor of the sacrifice and struggle of those who wore them.
One of the most unique items offered is the crossbody bag, which has four versatile pockets, two of which are Velcro security pockets. Swartz’s favorites are the large totes, cargo pocket totes and glasses cases.
Celebrate Fatigues items range in price from $9 to $59. Most items are made with the fabric of the Army, Navy, Marines or Air Force uniforms and feature the service branch name.
“There is honor held in these uniforms,” Swartz said. “They still hold the courage and dedication they held on the first day they were worn. Celebrate Fatigues’ goal is to repurpose used fatigues elevating them with the respect our military earned and still deserves.”
To learn more about Celebrate Fatigues, purchase items or make an online donation, please visit CelebrateFatigues.org. Fatigues and contributions may be sent to Celebrate Fatigues, 8500 NW River Park Drive #239, Parkville, MO 64152.