Photos courtesy of Stack-Up.org
soldiers with supply crates full of everything
they need to game while deployed overseas,
or when recovering in a military hospital.
The charity also has city-based fireteams
of people called “Stacks,” who help to get
veterans and civilians together to volunteer
for local charities. This gets them out from
behind their gaming systems and allows
them to engage with one another via their
shared interest in gaming, while also helping
them meet new people and form lasting
connections and friendships. Stack-Up.org
also offers travel as part of the “Air Assault”
program that flies deserving veterans to
gaming and geek-culture conventions such
as Comic-Con, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)
and Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
With this program, veterans truly get a VIP
weekend experience with pre‑paid flights and
fancy hotel stays.
“Stack-up” is a slang term for a formation
used in military or law enforcement when an
assault team forms up single-file along the
entrance or doorway to a room where they
believe a threat is located, explains Machuga.
“For the charity, the Stack represe