Sgt. Camo Ice Cream - Whitey's Ice Cream

Whitey’s Ice Cream is pleased to announce the 10-year anniversary of Sgt. Camo® Ice Cream along with special pricing to celebrate this milestone throughout the month of November. Profits from Sgt. Camo® go to military veteran organizations, and since 2009 more than $100,000 have been donated.

For the month of November, join us in commemorating this special anniversary with $1.00 off Sgt. Camo® 1.75 qt. containers and $0.50 off each dip of Sgt. Camo® at all Whitey’s locations. Additionally, to celebrate the ongoing partnership with Hy-Vee, the Quad Cities and Clinton Hy-Vee stores are offering the 1.75s of Sgt. Camo for $4.99 for the month.

In August 2009, Whitey’s Ice Cream introduced Sgt. Camo® and designated that all profits from Sgt. Camo® would be allocated to military veteran organizations. Sgt. Camo® also exclusively marched into Hy-Vee grocery stores for the first time in October 2009. To date, with the tremendous support of our customers, Whitey’s has donated more than $100,000. Over the years, Whitey’s has also donated tens of thousands of servings of Sgt. Camo® to numerous military veteran groups. This includes nearly all Honor Flights of the Quad Cities which celebrated their 50^th flight on October 31, 2019. Additionally, Hy-Vee sponsored its 11^th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities on September 12, 2019.

The flavor also marked the first and only time Whitey’s has used camouflaged colored cartons instead of their familiar red and white 1.75 qt. containers. The flavor has been sent to the Pentagon and served at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX for military members and their families before troops were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sgt. Camo® is a camouflaged colored flavor made with graham cracker ice cream and marshmallow ice cream with a ribbon of Whitey’s famous fudge, giving it a s’more taste.

Veterans arrived back home after the 38th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities last night. We were honored to be part of welcoming the veterans home by serving our Sgt. Camo Ice Cream after each flight. It is an amazing tradition that carries on thanks to the volunteers and airport staff dedicated to giving World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans an unforgettable experience.

We hope all the veterans and their guardians enjoyed the trip – and the ice cream!

Media representatives are invited to witness this event and taste how different and delicious Sgt. Camo Ice Cream tastes.

Special Forces will begin filling the new green & brown cartons with Sgt. Camo at 10:30 a.m. at the Whitey’s Ice Cream Manufacturing Plant, 2525 41st St., Moline, IL. (please enter at door the with an American flag).

Sgt. Camo is the newest flavor from Whitey’s Ice Cream which is a camouflaged tinted, s’more tasting ice-cream that has been very popular and only available, in the past, at Whitey’s 11 stores in the Quad Cities area. Whitey’s owner, Jeff Tunberg, describes Sgt Camo as, “It’s more than a new flavor…it’s a new creation.”

Sunday, October 25th, Hy Vee will begin selling Sgt. Camo at their 13 stores in the Quad Cities.

The historical execution will be the first time Whitey’s has used camouflaged colored cartons instead of their familiar red & white half-gallon containers. The Tunberg’s are hoping the new non-traditional camouflaged cartons will act like a radar beacon to ice cream lovers and those who support the military.

In August 2009, Whitey’s designated that all profits from Sgt. Camo would be allocated to veterans organizations. The Military Warriors Support Foundation, which sponsored “A Night to Honor Our Heroes” on September 5, 2009 at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA was the first recipient of proceeds from Sgt. Camo which will continue until December 31, 2009.

Sgt. Camo has been sent to the Pentagon and on October 9, 2009, the Tunbergs handed out the ice-cream to WWII vets and their guardians, departing the Honor Flight plane from Washington, DC. On November 20, 2009 the Tunbergs will travel to Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX to deliver 3,500 scoops of Sgt. Camo to military and their families before troops are deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan.

Recently the Tunberg’s committed to sending their ice cream to Iraq and Afghanistan and say they will continue to support other military opportunities in the Quad Cities.

Ice cream lovers got their engines revved Wednesday as they stopped by Whitey’s in East Moline, IL.

People were able to check out Dale Earnhardt Junior’s #88 race car. The display was in support of the Illinois Army National Guard and Whitey’s new Sgt. Camo ice cream.

All donations from sales of the flavor created earlier this year are donated to military veterans groups. Organizers say the support from Earnhardt, Jr. was last minute, but greatly appreciated.

“Getting Dale’s #88, we just found out a couple days ago that would be here to us promote Sgt. Camo ice cream” says Jason Meyer, the Controller at Whitey’s.

If you’re looking to get your hands on some Sgt. Camo, you can go to any Whitey’s store. Also, starting October 22, Whitey’s will start packaging the ice cream flavor to sell in Hy-Vee’s across the area.

As seen on WQAD-TV.

I was privileged to serve as volunteer guardian for World War II veteran, Jim Perry (Army Lt. Col. Retired). The day’s surprises can be best summed up in the phrase, compassion and respect. In the boarding area, two women in WW II attire sang and danced to WW II tunes. My 88-year-old aunt from Moline, Mary Kruse, surprised me by showing up as a last minute replacement. She was a Wave Lt. j.g. and one of two female veterans.

At Dulles Airport, fire trucks saluted by spraying water over the aircraft as we taxied, much like crossed swords at military ceremonies. A highlight at the WW II Memorial was the appearance of U.S. Sens. Bob and Elizabeth Dole who talked to every veteran.

Then it was on to the Korean War Memorial. Jim earned a Bronze Star in WW II, but in Korea, he spent 14 months in combat and earned two Silver Stars, another Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and five commendation medals. Back home at 1 a.m., a patriot played a bagpipe, 300 others applauded and Jeff and Susie Tunberg passed out Whitey’s Sgt. Camo Ice Cream. We had been awake for 22 hours, but were too charged up to be sleepy.

George Seaberg, Riverdale via Quad City Times

By Bill Wundram

EXACTLY 6,852 miles from home, in a parched place like Iraq, a thick Whitey’s chocolate malt would go down pretty good right about now.

That must be why Cpl. Joshua VandeWiele of Colona, Ill., nailed a sentimental sign about Whitey’s and the Quad-Cities on a post at the Iraq Marine Air Wing base where he’s stationed. It must make him feel good, easing any pangs of homesickness to see that sign.

“He loved Whitey’s,” says his mom, Jeannie VandeWiele of Colona. “When he is home on leave, one of the first stops has been Whitey’s. His favorite was chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and he can never get his fill of Whitey’s malts and milk shakes.”

Josh is on his third tour of duty “over there” with the Marines. When fellow Marines began hammering directions and details of their homes or favorite haunts to a post places like Tupelo, Miss., and a speedway Josh couldn’t resist getting into the act. He did some research to get replicas of the logos, handpainted on the signboard, which says it is 6,852 miles to get a Whitey’s.

He began the board with the words “Quad-Cities, Ill. and Ia. home of

This is followed by the John Deere logo, which is important because his dad, Jerry, is retired from Deere. Next is the logo of Whitey’s, the red-on-white swirl with upswing name of the Quad-Cities’ favorite ice cream. Alongside the Whitey’s logo is a drawing of the Centennial Bridge.

“Boy, is it nice to be remembered,” says Jon Tunberg of Whitey’s. “We’d like to pack a bunch of Whitey’s in dry ice and send it over to Josh, but food shipments like that are banned.”

Whitey’s has sent big batches of mini-malts to troops departing from Fort Campbell, Ky., and regularly ships dry ice-packed malts to service people who are stateside, but never overseas.

His mom laughs that before leaving on his last tour of duty, Josh told her that he’d like to take Whitey’s along. The closest thing to the Quad-Cities that could go with him was a John Deere cap and T-shirt.

Josh’s parents live near Billy Wolf Road in Colona which is not far from Geneseo to you city-fied folks who never heard of that landmark, Billy Wolf Road.

Josh enlisted in the Marines while a high school student in Geneseo, then reported for duty after graduation. After boot camp and training, he married his high school sweetheart, Elisabeth Ross, who now lives in Miramar, Calif., Josh’s home base.

In his years as a Marine, Josh has seen a hunk of overseas duty. He was in Kuwait for six months in 2003, and seven months in Iraq in 2004. He left Jan. 19 of this year for another hitch in Iraq, where he is a computer network specialist.

Tunberg wishes that he could somehow get malts to Josh. After all, Whitey’s malts have made it to England and Japan.

“Someone wanted to send our malts to Japan. We knew that would never work, but they said if we could get them to San Francisco, they’d get them the rest of the way to Japan. We got them to San Francisco, and we don’t know what happened after that.”

Whitey’s once made up a special batch of peppermint ice cream for a White House reunion of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Wellesley College class. Peppermint ice cream was always the Sunday desert at Welleslley, and White House chefs couldn’t find any in Washington. Whitey’s made up many gallons and shipped it in dry ice. It arrived, without a drip.

“The White House order was great, but it’s a great feeling, too, to know that when servicemen like Josh think of home and the Quad-Cities, they think of Whitey’s,” Tunberg says.

He tells how other servicemen have had the same feeling.

“We know. First, they can’t wait to see their wives, and then they can’t wait to get a Whitey’s.”

Bill Wundram , Quad City Times

Whitey’s Ice Cream has come up with a new flavor with the military in mind. It’s called Sgt. Camo and is made with graham crackers, marshmallows and a ribbon of fudge.

Vice President Jon Tunberg says it looks like camouflage but taste like s’mores.

He says a National Guard soldier suggested the idea of creating a flavor for the military and after some thought, Whitey’s came up with Sgt. Camo. Proceeds from sales of the ice cream will go toward military support. Whitey’s is also working on an effort to ship over 200 gallons of Sgt. Camo to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The last time Whitey’s created a flavor for a cause was during the flood of 1993. They came up with Mississippi Mud, to raise money for Red Cross flood relief.

Jon and brother Jeff Tunberg have been running Whitey’s, which their father bought in the 1930s. They say they have several family members who have served in the military and wanted to show their support.

They also say they were the first to create the ice cream flavor, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

As seen on KWQC.