Photo By Staff Sgt. Cody Harding | Marc Skidmore, a member of the Anime Military Association, presents a shirt to a...... read more read more
DALLAS, Texas - He sits behind a table as another group of people stop and pull in closer to the display, situated on a corner block of artists, merchants and fans in the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The small group, a mixture of regular clothes and elaborate costumes, look down at a large banner laid out in front of them filled with signatures. Once the convention is done, the banner will make its way to South Korea.
“Welcome to the Anime Military Association,” says Charles Brandon Polk, the founder of AMA and a U.S. Army veteran. “Any questions?”
When most people think of giving back to the troops, the gift of cartoons or comic books might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But the AMA, now three years running and looking to apply for nonprofit status, supports the troops with just that and more.
The AMA began as an idea during Polk's deployment to Iraq as a part of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Hood in 2011. During his time there, Polk and his friends discussed going to conventions when they returned from their deployment, and Oni-Con, a convention held in Galveston, Texas, came up as their choice.
Polk, who now lives in Montgomery, Alabama, then came up with an idea: a luncheon for military members attending the convention, as a place to connect with other Soldiers or to meet new friends who share the same interests. From there, the idea grew to include contacting the convention, getting sponsors for the event and finding space. Using the pay he made over his deployment, Polk had challenge coins made for those who stopped by the luncheon to show his support for fellow fans in the armed forces.
The first luncheon pulled in over 80 service members, many of whom asked when the group was planning to hold their next event, with the group forming soon afterwards, in November 2011. After the favorable response to their luncheon, they were asked to go to A-Kon, the longest running convention of it's kind in the U.S., held every June in Dallas.
When the AMA reached out to the staff at A-Kon, they discovered that many of the people working at the convention had either served in the military or had family members serving in the armed forces. Their luncheon drew in 94 veterans and service members, which was a pleasant surprise for Polk.
“By the time we opened the doors, they just marched in,” Polk said. “It was amazing. I get so much enjoyment from it. It's not about the money, I've lost a bit of my money on it, it's just that the enjoyment is a pleasure.”
Since then the AMA has traveled to several conventions across the U.S. to support and give back to the troops in their own way, with a recent return to celebrate the 25th anniversary of A-Kon with another luncheon and panel discussions on what the AMA does, their history and their plans for the future.
“If you've never been to a convention, there are a lot of people, military and former military who share your fandom,” Polk said. “They're everywhere. You might not be able to pick them out, but they're here. There's something for everybody.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2014 07:31 |
| Story ID: | 134003 |
| Location: | DALLAS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | MONTGOMERY, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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