Heinlein and Hubbard Legacy Continues with Book Donations to Military

The Heinlein for Heroes program, bolstered by a donation of over 1,500 L. on Hubbard books from Luis Colon, CEO of Management Experts, honors the legacy of science fiction legends Robert A. Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard by providing books to military service members and veterans.

Heinlein and Hubbard, close friends during the Golden Age of Science Fiction, left lasting impacts on the genre with Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and Hubbard’s Fear, Final Blackout, and Battlefield Earth. Their commitment to giving back endures through initiatives like Heinlein for Heroes, annual Heinlein Blood Drives at science fiction conventions, and the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest and anthologies.

Launched in 2013 by The Heinlein Society, Heinlein for Heroes has distributed over 55,000 science fiction and fantasy books to active-duty military, veterans, and their families, supported by donations from the science fiction community. The program supplies books to veterans’ hospitals, chaplains, and officers for small libraries, as well as to individuals stationed worldwide.

Colon, a science fiction fan and military supporter, facilitated the donation of Hubbard’s books from his leadership clients from all over the United States. “Our military dedicates themselves 24/7 to ensuring our freedom as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “They deserve to be uplifted whenever possible.”

Heinlein and Hubbard met in the early 1940s as contributors to Astounding Science Fiction magazine and members of the Mañana Literary Society, which convened at Heinlein’s Los Angeles home. Despite later geographic separation, they maintained a supportive correspondence, celebrating each other’s bestselling works until Heinlein’s death.

“The Heinlein Society exists to ‘pay it forward’ in areas important to Robert Heinlein, including blood drives, Heinlein for Heroes, and STEM scholarships,” said Beatrice Kondo, a director of The Heinlein Society. Kondo’s father, Dr. Yoji Kondo, was involved with the Writers of the Future Contest from 1989, serving as a judge from 1998 until his death in 2017. She added, “The Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests reflect L. Ron Hubbard’s vision of science fiction and fantasy’s role in shaping humanity’s future.”

For more information on Robert A. Heinlein and The Heinlein Society, visit heinleinsociety.org. For more information on L. Ron Hubbard, visit LRonHubbard.org.